Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 30: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about starting the first Test in Rawalpindi, due to a viral infection outbreak in their camp.
England is in disarray on the morning of their first Test match in Pakistan after 13 to 14 staff members, including half of the 16-man playing squad, became ill on Wednesday.
“We are in discussions with the PCB regarding the start of the first Test due to a viral infection within our camp,” tweeted England Cricket Twitter handle.
Meanwhile, PCB also confirmed the discussion regarding the start of the Test match and said that the board is currently monitoring the situation.
“The PCB and ECB are in discussions regarding the commencement of the 1st PAKvENG Test as some England players are down with the viral infection. The PCB continues to monitor the situation, is in contact with the ECB and will provide further updates in due course,” tweeted PCB.
The PCB and ECB are in discussions regarding the commencement of the 1st #PAKvENG Test as some England players are down with viral infection. The PCB continues to monitor the situation, is in contact with the ECB and will provide further updates in due course.
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 30, 2022
A chef named Omar Meziane has travelled with the squad on this tour, as England is taking additional precautions with their meals as the issue is thought to be a virus or insect rather than food poisoning.
On Tuesday, after reporting feeling unwell, some players were told to stay in their rooms to lessen the chance of the virus spreading. Ben Stokes, the captain of England, and James Anderson are reportedly two of those affected. Joe Root was able to train on Wednesday even though he had symptoms on Tuesday.
An ECB spokeswoman acknowledged that the infections were unrelated to COVID-19, as reported by Espncricinfo. The illness might go in a day, but since the first of the series’ three games is set to begin on Thursday in Rawalpindi, England’s prospects of getting off to a strong start have been greatly reduced.
The Wednesday training session at the location, which was optional prior to the bug’s spread, was only attended by Root, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Keaton Jennings. The remaining players on the starting XI were not present. Stokes’ team from Tuesday may suddenly look quite different as Liam Livingstone makes his debut and Ben Duckett makes a comeback.
The outbreak has taken place at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, where both teams England and Pakistan have been staying. Notably, Rawalpindi will host the first Test (1-5 December) before the action moves to Karachi (9-13 December) and Multan (17-21 December) for the subsequent games.
