Pakistan cricket squad touring New Zealand has suffered a major setback asthe country’s Health Ministry has denied permission to leave their hoteland start training.

New Zealand’s Health Ministry decided this after two more Pakistani playerstested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, taking the total tally of infectedsquad members to 10.——————————

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An official statement released by New Zealand’s Health Ministry reads:

Following careful consideration, the Director-General of Health has todayconfirmed that he will not be granting the exemption which would allow thePakistan men’s cricket team to leave their hotel to train in groups whilecompleting their time in managed isolation in Christchurch.

Public health considerations will continue to remain New Zealand’sparamount priority, whether this involves individuals or teams, thestatement added.——————————

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Led by captain Babar Azam, the Pakistan team had landed in Christchurch on24 November. The visitors are observing the two-week mandatory quarantinerequired by the New Zealand government and haven’t been able to train sincethen.

Pakistan is set to take on New Zealand in 2 Tests and 3 T20Is, with thetour set to formally begin with a T20I on 18 December.