Following the outbreak of a viral infection in the Three Lions’ camp, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Thursday that the decision regarding the start of the first Test between Pakistan and England will not be delayed. Both boards have agreed to begin the match as scheduled on Thursday.
England indicated that they could field a team for the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.”The ECB stated in a tweet that they have informed the PCB that they are in a position to field an XI, and as a result, the first Test will commence as scheduled today (Thursday, December 1) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.”
On Wednesday, 13 to 14 members of England’s staff, including half of the 16-man playing squad, became ill, putting the team in disarray ahead of their first Test in Pakistan.
ESPNcricinfo says that rather than food poisoning, the problem is thought to be a virus or bug. Because a chef named Omar Meziane has been with the England team on this tour, the team is taking extra precautions with their diet. On Tuesday, some players who reported feeling unwell were told to stay in their rooms to prevent the virus from spreading.
Espncricinfo reported that an ECB spokesperson confirmed that the illnesses were unrelated to COVID-19. Since the first of the three matches in the series begins on Thursday in Rawalpindi, England’s chances there is the possibility that the virus will disappear in a day.
Prior to the spread of the bug, only Root, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Keaton Jennings took part in the venue’s Wednesday training session, which was optional. The remaining members of the starting XI were not present.
The outbreak has occurred at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, where Pakistan and England’s teams are staying. England has been ill at the start of a tour before, and this is not the first time. The team was affected before and during their Boxing Day Test in Pretoria on the 2019-20 South African tour by a bug similar to this one.
Before moving on to Karachi (9-13 December) and Multan (17-21 December) for the subsequent games, Rawalpindi will host the first Test, which will be played there from January 5 to 5.
Pakistan vs. England XI: Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (w), Liam Livingstone, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, and Jimmy Anderson are the other players.