Pakistan v England: Tourists wait to learn if series starts on Thursday

Harry Brook was 1 of lone 5 England players who trained connected Wednesday

England are waiting to larn if their historical Test bid against Pakistan tin statesman arsenic planned connected Thursday.

The Test bid is England's archetypal successful Pakistan successful 17 years - they halted tours to the state pursuing a weapon onslaught connected the Sri Lanka squad successful 2009.

A determination connected the archetypal day's play is owed aboriginal connected Thursday morning.

The lucifer is scheduled to commence astatine 05:00 GMT, with a telephone connected whether the archetypal time volition spell up oregon not apt travel nary aboriginal than 2 hours earlier that.

Talks betwixt the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) were held aft astir 14 players and unit from the touring enactment were struck with a viral infection.

The options for the archetypal Test are to transportation connected arsenic planned, hold by a time and proceed arsenic a five-day match, oregon hold a time and play a four-day Test.

If the archetypal Test is delayed and remains 5 days, that would permission lone 2 escaped days earlier the commencement of the 2nd Test successful Multan, which is owed to statesman connected 9 December.

The archetypal time would lone beryllium postponed if it is felt that England are not beryllium capable to tract a competitory team, arsenic would person been the lawsuit had the lucifer been owed to commencement connected Wednesday.

• 'I similar Jurgen Klopp' - Pakistan's mentality monster Shafique
• Livingstone to marque Test debut
• England whitethorn person to beryllium 'creative' - Anderson

Last-minute hitch to historical tour

England's past Test bid successful Pakistan was a 2-0 decision successful 2005. They person lone ever won 2 Tests here, albeit 18 of the 24 contests betwixt the 2 sides successful this state person ended successful draws.

In the clip erstwhile England person not toured, Pakistan person doubly hosted them successful the United Arab Emirates, winning some series.

In the aftermath of the onslaught connected the Sri Lanka team, Pakistan went six years without playing immoderate benignant of planetary cricket connected location soil.

Zimbabwe were the archetypal squad to instrumentality for a white-ball bid successful 2015, with Sri Lanka playing the archetypal Test backmost successful Pakistan successful 2019.

As a big of English players took portion successful the Pakistan Super League, the mode was paved for England to tour, but a limited-overs bid was called disconnected successful 2021 with a month's announcement aft the New Zealand squad received a "specific and credible threat" portion successful Pakistan.

England did yet instrumentality to play a T20 bid successful September and October of this year, winning 4-3.

Both past and present they person been afforded a 'presidential' level of security, meaning an equipped convoy done closed roads erstwhile they travel.

The bid takes spot against the backdrop of wide flooding that has devastated immense parts of Pakistan and England skipper Ben Stokes has pledged his lucifer fees from the circuit to the flood entreaty charity.

"Coming present is simply a monumental clip for English cricket and for Pakistan arsenic a nation," said Stokes, earlier becoming 1 of the players struck down by illness.

"There are things that spell connected successful beingness that are bigger than athletics and I felt compelled conscionable to springiness thing that is bigger than cricket."

A fig of England fans and circuit groups person made the travel to Pakistan. About 60% of tickets for the 15,000-capacity Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium are thought to person been sold successful beforehand of days 1 and two. Greater crowds are expected implicit the weekend.

The lucifer is simply a swift reuniting of the 2 teams that contested the T20 World Cup last earlier this month, with England prevailing successful Melbourne.

Pakistan are chasing a spot successful the World Test Championship last astatine The Oval adjacent summer, presently lying 5th successful the table. England, successful seventh, are retired of contention.

"We are excited astir that imaginable of playing the final," said Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. "This is an important bid for that and we person a aureate accidental to execute that."

For England it is the archetypal overseas circuit nether skipper Stokes and manager Brendon McCullum. It volition supply a stern introspection of a swashbuckling benignant that brought six wins from 7 Tests successful the summer.

"The astir important happening to retrieve is going retired determination and showing the intent we did successful the summer," said Stokes.

"We don't consciousness similar we privation to beryllium held backmost by the communicative of however Test cricket needs to beryllium played. We're successful an epoch present with English cricket, with myself and Brendon starring the red-ball cricket astir however we privation to spell retired and play."

England named their XI connected Tuesday, with Lancashire all-rounder Liam Livingstone handed his Test debut and opener Ben Duckett recalled for his archetypal Test successful six years.