Former England Test captain Joe Root on Wednesday dismissed the possibility of his team teammates falling ill due to food poisoning ahead of the first Test match in Rawalpindi, saying “it is just I think one of those things that we, unfortunately, picked up as a group”.
“I don’t think it’s food poisoning or Covid or anything lke that,” said Root as he responded to a query at a press talk in Rawalpindi today.
England’s cricketers, including skipper Ben Stokes, have fallen ill on the eve of the first Test, despite the touring party bringing their own chef. “As far as I’m aware, a few guys are not feeling 100 per cent,” Root told the news conference.
However, Root clarified there was no connection between food and illness.
“The thing is we have been carrying a chef away for a couple of years. If you look at the international teams, especially England, they all have their own chefs. We optimise ourselves and we see it from a nutrition point of view as well,” he commented in response to a question.
When asked about the current state of health of other players, Root said: “It’s hard to say as I have not seen anyone this morning. Guys are doing everything they can. They worked really hard for the games… so I guess time will tell.”
A ceremony on Wednesday for the two captains to unveil the series trophy was postponed to give Stokes time to recover.
“Several players and staff members, including England captain Ben Stokes, are feeling unwell and have been advised to stay at the hotel to rest up,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board in a statement.
Meanwhile, in a tweet today, the Pakistan Cricket Board said that it was in discussion with the ECB regarding the commencement of the first Test match as some England players were “down with a viral infection”.
“The PCB continues to monitor the situation, is in contact with the ECB and will provide further updates in due course,” it added.
