news Pak vs Eng 2022-23 – 1st Test

England and Pakistan officials are in discussions about a possible 24-hour postponement of 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 traveled 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 postponed start to the match.Although the playing conditions

for the World Test Championship require all matches to be staged across a five-day window, an ECB spokesperson confirmed that play would not have got underway in the current

circumstances. Officials from the two boards - PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, and the ECB's Rob Key and Neil Snowball - have been in talks, with a final decision on the start time likely

to rest on the verdict of the England team doctor."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 optimize ourselves and be in the right position to perform."Joe Root