Pakistan Cricket Board to offer Covid-19 vaccines to its player

In wake of a mini Coronavirus outbreak, the Pakistan Cricket Board will offer Covid-19 vaccines to all the participants of the PSL. In doing so, they have become the first cricket board to offer the Covid-19 vaccine to its players. It must be noted that Islamabad United’s Fawad Ahmed, England batsman, Tom Banton and Karachi Kings’s fielding coach, Kamran Khan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. PCB announced that the decision was taken to ensure the safety of the players. They further revealed that getting a shot of the vaccine is not mandatory and the players can choose whether they want to get vaccinated or not. 

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"The vaccine doses will be administered on Thursday and will be offered to all those inside the bio-secure bubble. However, it will solely be the players and officials' decision if they want to get the vaccine shots,” a release from the PCB read.

PCB chief executive, Wasim Khan confirmed that Pakistan Cricket Board does not want to compromise on the safety of the players thus have acquired few doses of the Covid-19 vaccine which will be offered to the players.

"The PCB takes health, safety and well-being of its players and officials very seriously," Wasim Khan said. "In line with our duty of care policy, we have acquired a small allocation of SARS-Coronavirus Vaccine, which will be offered to all those inside the bio-secure environment created for the Pakistan Super League 6.

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"The players and officials will be under no obligation to have the vaccine. The vaccinations will be administered on Thursday morning by qualified health workers, strictly in line with government protocols.”

Khan also revealed that they decided to offer the vaccines to provide an additional cover to the players inside the bubble. 

"While we live in these challenging times, the vaccine has been sourced to provide an added level of protection and comfort for players and all personnel inside the bubble. We will continue to operate responsibly in our duty to those involved in the tournament,” Khan added. 

The PCB is considering to play full season of the PSL in Karachi itself. The second leg of the PSL will be played in Lahore but it is reported that the PCB is reluctant to move out of the bubble. The decision about the same can be taken in a virtual meeting between the authorities and team owners on March 4.