England tour of Pakistan: Half of England's playing squad struck down by illness ahead of 1st Test

Dark clouds loom over the much-anticipated 1st Test between England and Pakistan as 13 to 14 members of the English staff, including half of the 16-man playing squad, were struck down by illness on Wednesday.

The Test match is scheduled to start on December 1 in Rawalpindi but is now in danger of being postponed by 24 hours.

It has been learnt that there has been a bug of a virus break-out in the English camp rather than food poisoning. The England team is taking particular care over what they eat with the help of a chef, who has travelled with the team for this tour.

An ECB spokesperson confirmed that the players were experiencing vomiting and diarrhoea but the illness was not Covid-19 related.

Skipper Ben Stokes, who is also affected by the illness, had named England's playing XI for the 1st Test, but it now may have to be tweaked.

Also read: PAK vs ENG: Ben Stokes makes a huge announcement ahead of Test series in Pakistan