PCB suspend Peshawar Zalmi’s Haider Ali and Umaid Asif ahead of PSL final

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have suspended two players from the Peshawar Zalmi franchise ahead of their Pakistan Super League (PSL) final match against Multan Sultans on Thursday. 

On Thursday, batsman Haider Ali and all-rounder Umaid Asif were handed their suspension from playing the PSL final after both the players were found to have breached the COVID-19 secure bio-bubble on Wednesday. 

"The two cricketers were found not to have interacted with any other squad members at any time after the incident and have been placed in room isolation," the PCB statement said.

Haider, who was named in Pakistan’s squad for the tour of England and West Indies, has been withdrawn from the squad with Multan Sultans’ Sohaib Masqood named as his replacement. 

"Sohaib has had a stellar PSL season, in which he has to date scored 363 runs in 11 matches with an average of 40.33 and strike rate of just under 153. He has represented Pakistan in 26 ODIs and two T20Is, with his last T20I appearance being against New Zealand in Hamilton in January 2016," PCB mentioned.