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RAWALPINDI: The trophy unveiling ceremony of Pak-England test series has been postponed as England’s preparations for their first Test match received a serious blow with around half the squad affected by an illness.
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According to an online published report, approximately 13 to 14 members of the touring party are affected by the illness, with around half of that number members of the playing squad.
Also read: England announce playing XI for opening Test against Pakistan
It may be recalled that the England Test side had 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.
Also read: England hire chef for Pakistan tour after debrief of T20 series experience
The team 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.
However, it has now been reported that half of the squad has een affected by an illness, and Ben Stokes is among those affected. It is believed to be a bug or virus rather than Covid.
Also read: “We know how strong Pak batting line is”, James Anderson
England have made their their final training session ahead of the Test match on Wednesday morning optional.
Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope and Joe Root reported for the practice session at the stadium in Rawalpindi – taken by head coach Brendon McCullum – with the rest remaining at their Islamabad base.
Stokes had named his nominal starting XI for the match, including handing a debut to Liam Livingstone and a first Test recall since 2016 for Ben Duckett, but his plans could be forced to change due to the illness.
