Rawalpindi: England and Pakistan officials are in discussions about a possible 24-hour delay to the first Test in Pakistan, after 13 to 14 members of the England squad - including half the 16-man playing pool - were struck down by illness on Wednesday. The issue is thought to be a virus or bug rather than food poisoning, with England taking particular care over what they eat with the help of a chef, Omar Meziane, who has travelled with the team for this tour.

However, on Tuesday, some players reported feeling unwell and were told to stay in their rooms to limit the risk of spreading the virus. Ben Stokes, England captain, and James Anderson are understood to be two of those affected. Jack Leach, who lives with Crohn's disease and takes immunosuppressant medication, which weakens his immune system, is suffering from symptoms but is said to be fine. Joe Root had symptoms on Tuesday but recovered well enough to train on Wednesday.

Likewise, Mark Wood, who was already set to miss the first Test through injury, has shown signs of improvement after missing training on Tuesday and being confined to his room. An ECB spokesperson confirmed that the illnesses were not Covid-19 related, with players experiencing vomiting and diarrhoea. There is a hope the virus passes in 24 hours, though with the first of the three-match series due to begin in Rawalpindi on Thursday, England's chances of getting off to a strong start have been severely hampered.

Root, speaking to the media on Wednesday, acknowledged that discussions were underway about a rearranged start to the match, with officials from the two boards - PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, and the ECB's Rob Key and Neil Snowball - meeting to consider all options. A final decision is expected to rest with the England team doctors, who are due to assess the players by 8am local time, two hours before the scheduled start of play. With the hours of play already cramped by the fast-setting winter sun, a delayed start to Thursday's play has already been ruled out. The playing conditions for the World Test Championship require all matches to be staged across a five-day window, therefore ICC dispension will be required if the game is to be rearranged as a four-day Test. However, an ECB spokesperson confirmed that play would not have got underway in the current circumstances. "It is unfortunate we are in this situation, but we don't think it is food-related," Root said.

"I don't think there is any correlation between the two and in fact the chef is ill as well, so I don't think it is the food. "The thing is we have been trying to bring a chef away with us for a couple of years now. This is the first opportunity we have had to do it. Look at all the other international sporting teams around, even Premier League and Championship teams have their own chef, so we think from a nutrition and performance side of things, we are trying to do everything we can to optimise ourselves and be in the right position to perform." Joe Root talks to media ahead of the First Test in Rawalpindi•Getty Images Apart from Root, only Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook of the players named in the starting XI, and Keaton Jennings trained at the ground on Wednesday in a session that was anyway optional before the bug spread. The team named by Stokes on Tuesday, with a debut for Liam Livingstone and a return to the fold for opener Ben Duckett, may now have a very different look.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 01 2022

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