The England cricket team, including captain Ben Stokes, has been down with an unknown virus on the eve of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
Around 14 members of the travelling party of players and coaches have been advised to rest at the hotel in Islamabad on Wednesday, November 30.
Meanwhile, the visitors have requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to postpone the opening Test by a day to allow the players to recover from the virus.
“Talks are going on between Pakistan and England to postpone the starting date of the Rawalpindi Test by 24 hours. The reason under discussion is the health issues of the test squad of England, including Ben Stokes,” Arfa Feroz Zake, a journalist at Geo New Urdu reported.
Earlier, BBC Sports reported that 14 members of the touring party, including captain Ben Stokes and several coaches, have been infected with an unknown virus.
“The England squad, including captain Ben Stokes, has been affected by a virus on the eve of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi,” BBC Sports reported.
“Around 14 members of the travelling party of players and coaches were advised to rest at the hotel on Wednesday. About half of the playing squad of 16 has been hit, with only five taking part in an optional training session,” it added.
Notably, only Joe Root, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Keaton Jennings, and Ollie Pope, have reported for the optional practice session conducted by coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the first Test.
The final decision regarding the postponement of the first Test will be taken once the availability of the English players is confirmed following the England doctor’s assessment of the infected members.
After the first match in Rawalpindi, the action moves to Multan for the second Test, starting on Friday, December 9, with the final Test of the tour taking place at the National Stadium in Karachi, starting on Saturday, December 17.
Earlier, England announced their playing XI for the opening Test match. Liam Livingstone is set to make his Test debut while Ben Duckett, who last played a Test match in 2016 has also been included in the team.
England’s Playing XI For First Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (wk), Liam Livingstone, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, Jimmy Anderson.
