New Zealand Cricket administrators say six Pakistani cricketers test covid positive and would be moved into quarantine, throwing preparations for the series into turmoil.

There are exactly six members of the Pakistan cricket team on a tour of New Zealand who has tested positive for COVID-19, The country’s cricket board said on Thursday, heaving preparations for the five-match series into turmoil and triggering a scare in a country that has mainly destroyed the virus.

The group’s “release to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until inquiries have been completed”, the central body said, adding that the six positive players would be relocated into quarantine.

New Zealand’s ministry of health confirmed 53 team members accepted a warning sign check before leaving Lahore and were tested on the entrance in Christchurch on November 24.

Six of those results have come back positive, while two of the six cases are believed to be “historical”.

New Zealand’s health ministry confirmed the players will now “be tested a minimum of four times while in managed separation” and the entire group would be restricted to their rooms.

Breached isolation rules

The NZ ministry also exposed that “numerous team members have been seen on CCTV at the facility breaking managed isolation rules and regulations, despite clear, consistent, and detailed communication of expected behaviors”.

“The Complete group of Team has been issued with the last warning,” it said.

“It is a pleasure to come to New Zealand to play sport, but in return, teams must stick to the rules and regulations that are designed to keep COVID-19 out of our societies and keep our workers safe and secure,” said top health official Ashley Bloomfield.

Ended the strict isolation measures, aggressive testing, and sudden lockdowns, New Zealand has largely destroyed community transmission of the virus, registering just 1,684 cases since the pandemic began.

However before the Pakistan team arrived on New Zealand dirt the tour had been hit by cruel health, with Pakistan’s confident opener Fakhar Zaman ruled out at the 11th hour with a determined temperature.

The thirty-year-old left-hander tested negative along with the rest of the group.

The tour, with three T20 internationals and 2 tests, is scheduled to begin with the opening T20 on December 18 in Auckland.