England players are unwell on the eve of the first Test in Pindi.
Iqbal Jamil
RAWALPINDI: Without a ball being bowled in the current three match Test cricket series between Pakistan and England, with the first Test to start on Thursday in Rawalpindi, Benjamin Andrew Stokes, skipper of English cricket team won the hearts of millions of Pakistanis by donating his match fees of all three Test matches for the flood affected people.
Whatever is the result of the current series it doesn’t matter as winning and losing is part of any game, but the initiative by 31-year-old Ben Stokes goes a long way in serving the humanity. In a tweet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the gesture of Ben Stokes towards the flood victims. Ben Stokes in a statement said that “The game has given me a lot in my life and I feel it’s only right to give something back that goes beyond cricket”.
England’s skipper is the second player after Ian Botham who scored 4000 runs and took 100 wickets in test cricket, a mark of genuine all-rounder.
Meanwhile, things are not rosy for England before the start of first test as their 14 players including some members of playing eleven on Wednesday were reported ill due to viral or bug rather than food poisoning. There was speculation in the media that the first test may be delayed due to the development. The illness of the players forced the England team to cancel their practice session on Wednesday.
The PCB and ECB Wednesday discussed the outbreak of viral infection in the England men’s test team camp and unanimously agreed to delay the decision on the commencement of the first Test, which is due to commence on Thursday, until 0730 Pakistan time today (Thursday), read a joint statement of the two boards.
Hence PCB announced that the playing days for the first test will be 5 days.
