Upto 14 members of England contingent in Pakistan down with sickness; skipper Ben Stokes among the affected - Reports 

England's tour of Pakistan is off to a nightmarish start, with a large fraction of the touring party reportedly down with sickness just a day before the commencement of the first Test in Rawalpindi. The visitors last toured the nation in 2005 for three Tests and five ODIs.

According to a report first released by Planet Sport, as many as 13 to 14 members of the traveling contingent are believed to be affected by a possible virus or bug. As of now, the prospect of COVID-19 infecting the camp has been ruled out by the medical team.

With over half of the first-team members unwell, the management have opted to make their final training session optional. The likes of Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root were the players present for practice. Head coach Brendon McCullum was also present to oversee the proceedings, while the remainder of the squad remained in Islamabad.

No official announcement regarding the Test match has been made by either board as they continue to wait for further developments.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had earlier approved for a chef to be present with the squad in Pakistan. Several players complained about the food during the team's white-ball tour of the subcontinent in September 2022.

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England have already named their playing XI for the first Test

The recently crowned T20 champions, earlier on Monday, November 30, named their playing XI for the series opener in Rawalpindi. In the absence of Alex Lees, the second opener slot was given to Ben Duckett, whose last Test appearance came six years ago. All-rounder Liam Livingstone was also in line for his maiden Test match after being named in the team.

It should be noted that senior players Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow are not included in the squad for the Pakistan tour.

England playing XI for first Test against Pakistan

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Liam Livingstone, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.

Will the sweep of illness hamper England's preparation or the overall fate of the Test match as well? Let us know what you think.