England managing director Ashley Giles believes Pakistan's tour in August will go ahead despite three Pakistani cricketers testing positive for coronavirus.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Monday that leg-spinner Shadab Khan, fast bowler Haris Rauf and teenage batsman Haider Ali had tested positive for Covid-19 even though they were showing no symptoms and would now go into self-isolation.
Pakistan are due to play three Tests and three Twenty20 internationals against England, starting in August. More virus results from the Pakistan camp are expected later on Tuesday.
Giles expressed his concern, particularly for the Pakistan players who had tested positive, but told a conference call he remained upbeat.
"I don't think the series is in doubt," he said. "We are far enough away from the start of the Test series to not worry about that too much at the moment.
"There are some more test results coming out later from the rest of the group so we will see what that says, but we are still hopeful that the Pakistan team will be arriving in the country fairly soon."
Cancelling the Pakistan series could cost the England and Wales Cricket Board an estimated £80 million (Dh366m) in lost broadcast revenue.
"This is the difference with international sport," said Giles. "We need to get our opposition in-country. Anything that puts that at risk or in danger is clearly a problem."
Pakistan is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, with more than 180,000 so far, including nearly 3,700 deaths, while cases are falling in Britain.
"Of course, in the Pakistan team's case, the situation in Pakistan is not great at the moment and our thoughts go out to the whole country," said Giles.
"But clearly it is important we get that team and those guys in our country and we can get on with that series."
England are scheduled to face the West Indies in a three-Test series starting at Southampton on July 8.
The West Indies, so far virus-free, start a three-day intra-squad practice match in Manchester on Tuesday as their England counterparts enter a "bio-secure" training bubble in Southampton.
Former England spinner Giles admitted there was still some "uncertainty" surrounding the West Indies series "because we know how fast moving this situation has been around the world".
"Do we really know what's round the corner?" he asked. "No. The bubble, Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, that's why we are trying to create environments that mitigate as much risk as we possibly can."
The England-West Indies Tests will be the first major international cricket series since the pandemic.
Giles said the return of international sport would give people a lift. "Far more important things are going on than sport," he said. "We are hopeful that if we can get international sport on, it will be a real fillip for many people around the world."
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All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Sheer grandeur
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
