England’s preparations for the first Test against Pakistan have been thrown into disarray by a virus spreading in the camp, which could delay the start of the match in Rawalpindi from Thursday.
Captain Ben Stokes was among a number of England players who skipped Wednesday’s optional training session after being laid low by the bug.
Former captain Joe Root was one of the five players who took part.
‘Some of the players are not feeling 100 per cent as far as I am aware,’ Root said at a press conference.
“I didn’t feel great yesterday and I got much better today. So, hopefully, it’s a 24-hour virus. Don’t think it’s food poisoning or COVID or anything like that.
“We’re trying to get absolutely everything right to make sure we’re ready for this game.”
England have named their starting 11, giving Liam Livingstone a Test debut and recalling Ben Duckett to open with Zak Crawley.
Root effectively ruled out leading England again should Stokes miss the match with illness.