Three fully-vaccinated West Indies players tested positive for Covid-19 on arriving in Pakistan and will miss the upcoming limited-overs series.

Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers and a non-coaching staff member “returned positive tests in Karachi and will therefore be unavailable to participate in the upcoming Pakistan series,” Cricket West Indies said in a statement.

All four had been fully vaccinated and are without major symptoms. They will remain in isolation for 10 days and until they return negative PCR test results.

“Our arrival testing protocols in Pakistan have confirmed four Covid-19 positives,” said CWI chief executive Johnny Grave.

“These were confirmed whilst the players and staff were still in room isolation, so despite this significant setback to our preparation plans, we are confident that the tour can continue as everyone else returned negative PCRs prior to their arrival into Pakistan and two negative PCRs since they have been in Karachi.

“The risk of Covid-19 infection is impossible to remove completely from a cricket tour, in spite of the fact that many of our players have been living in bio-secure bubbles almost continuously since before the CPL.

“This unusual loss of three players from our squad will seriously impact our team preparations, but the rest of the squad are in good spirits and will begin training today ahead of our first game on Monday.”

Cottrell, Chase and Mayers were all included in the squad for a three-match T20I series starting on Monday. Chase was also selected for the three ODIs that follow in Karachi between 18 and 22 December.

© Agence France-Presse