LONDON: The England Test side has made a new addition for their upcoming tour of Pakistan, hiring a chef following a debrief of the limited-overs side’s experiences in the country during their seven-match T20I series.
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England’s Test team due to arrive in Pakistan on November 26 for a three-match series to be played from December 1 to December 21. The series is a part of the World Test Championship cycle and both teams would look to stay in the race for qualification. Both England and Pakistan have announced their squads for the series.
It’s reported that the England team has hired their own chef to maintain the quality and standard of food served to the players during the series, following complaints by a few players about food they were served during the T20I leg of the tour.
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The feedback from players and support staff was that the food on offer, particularly at match venues, was not quite up to scratch, with a handful suffering from upset stomachs at certain parts of the tour.
Reports suggest that he topic of local cuisine came up during the T20 tour when Moeen Ali, as stand-in captain, waded into the food culture war between Lahore and Karachi, tongue very much in cheek: “Food-wise, I have been a little bit disappointed in Lahore. Karachi was really nice.” With Lahore not on the agenda this time around and Karachi hosting the third Test, those who wish to sample the local delicacies can rest easy.
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It may be recalled that on a tour of New Zealand in November 2019, spinner Jack Leach who suffers from Crohn’s disease, was struck down so severely by food poisoning, he ended up being hospitalised and contracted sepsis.
Then ahead of their 2013-14 Ashes campaign, the England team made a dossier entitled, “Test catering requirements” which was distributed to all hosting venues. The 82 pages contained 194 recipes ranging from “Moroccan spiced griddled chicken fillets with lime and coriander mayo” to protein-based “banana and peanut bars”.
