BREAKING NEWS: Entire England cricket team forced into isolation

Entire England cricket team forced into isolation after three players and backroom staff broke covid protocol.

The whole England one-day international squad is self-isolating after three players and four management team members tested positive for Covid-19.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have announced that they will name a new squad for their one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches against Pakistan. Ben Stokes has been named as the captain of the new team.

As a result, the entire remainder of the squad have been deemed close contacts and will go into self-isolation. Stokes will lead England against Pakistan in their upcoming series which gets underway on Thursday.

The series will feature three games across five days meaning a newly selected team will be involved throughout whilst their compatriots isolate. The rest of the new team to face Pakistan will be named later on Tuesday.

”We have been prepared for this moment, and mindful that the emergence of the Delta variant, along with our move away from the stringent enforcement of bio secure environments, could increase the chances of an outbreak,” said Tom Harrison, chief executive at the ECB.

“We made a strategic choice to try to adapt protocols, in order to support the overall wellbeing of our players and management staff who have spent much of the 14 months living in very restricted conditions.

“Overnight we have worked swiftly to identify a new squad, and we are grateful to Ben Stokes who will return to England duties to captain.

“We also recognise the impact this news will have on our first-class counties and their men’s playing squads and thank them, along with our partners Sky and Royal London, for their ongoing support in dealing with this pandemic.”

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