Reports: England hire team chef for Pakistan tour to tackle concerns around food quality

Following a lot of complaints regarding food and catering during England’s last tour to Pakistan, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now reportedly added a chef as part of the support staff for their three-match Test series against Pakistan in December. 

A lot of English players fell sick and missed certain parts of the seven-match T20I series against Pakistan earlier in the year. The stand-in captain Moeen Ali especially complained about the food in Lahore because of which, the English management prefers not to take the risk this time around. Thus, ECB has hired Omar Meziane, who worked with the England Football Team in the same capacity during FIFA World Cup 2018 and Euro 2020.

This move from the management will also help spinner Jack Leach, who suffers from Crohn's disease. The 31-year-old takes immunosuppressant medication to deal with the illness and is very strict about his eating habits. The cricketer was seriously ill during England’s tour to New Zealand in 2019 and was admitted to a hospital for food poisoning. Thus, this will likely eliminate all the possible hiccups in the Pakistan tour.

Pakistan announce their squad for the Test series

The Babar Azam-led side took some bold decisions and included former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed in the 18-man squad versus England while veteran middle-order batter Fawad Alam has failed to earn a place in the Test series.

Speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi too will miss the Test series. As per PCB, the young sensation will undergo a rehabilitation and conditioning programme at the National High-Performance Centre, where his recovery will be closely monitored.

In his absence, the likes of Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim jr, and Naseem Shah will be taking the responsibility to bring glory to Pakistan. The Test series will be beginning on December 1 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test will be played at Multan from December 9 while Karachi will host the third and final Test of the series from December 17.

Pakistan Test squad versus England - Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim jr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Zahid Mehmood.