Virus strikes England team on eve of first test in Pakistan
Rawalpindi, Nov 30: Several England players have been struck by a virus ahead of the team's first test in Pakistan in 17 years, leading to discussions about postponing the start of the match by one day.
Only five England players Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope and Joe Root turned up for the training at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The rest of the squad members, including captain Ben Stokes, stayed in the hotel as team officials said six or seven players had been affected by the virus.
Brook, Crawley, Pope and Root all were named in England's playing XI for the first test.
"There's obviously a few guys not feeling 100%," Root told reporters, adding that he didn't feel good yesterday but woke up lot better on Wednesday before coming for the training at the stadium. "It's nothing like food poisoning or COVID I think it's just one of those things that we've unfortunately picked up as a group. We try to do absolutely everything right to make sure we're prepared really well for this game.
"Sometimes you just pick up a virus and when you're all tied together in one, I tell you, you can spread it out. We did everything we can to try and mitigate that, but you have to see how things go tonight and tomorrow."
England team spokesman Danny Rueben said several staff members of the England contingent have also been affected by the virus.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said it was discussing the start of Thursday's first test with the England Cricket Board "and will provide further updates in due course."
Root said he wasn't sure whether it was possible to delay the game by a day and have it start on Friday.
"It's such a monumental tour and important series for so many reasons," Root said. "We've waited 17 years to come to Pakistan to play a test match, if it means waiting another day, is that the worst thing in the world?
"We're all desperate to play this game and we know how important it is to the fans of Pakistan and their team as well. I don't think it's necessarily the worst thing in the world if we have to wait one more day to make sure the game isn't canceled and everyone gets what they want, which is an exciting three-match series."
England has already named its playing XI for the first of the three-test series with Liam Livingstone set to make his test debut and Ben Duckett is penciled as opener with Crawley. Veteran fast bowler James Anderson and Ollie Robinson are the two specialist fast bowler with Stokes as the other seaming option.
England is already out of contention for next year's World Test Championship final and is placed seventh in the WTC table.
Pakistan is in fifth place and has a realistic chance of making it to the final at the Oval in 2023, if it manages to win a majority of the remaining five tests at home. Pakistan is scheduled to host New Zealand for a two-test series later this month after the three tests against England ends at Karachi.
"We know we have to win four of the remaining five test matches and it's a golden opportunity for us to do so at home," Pakistan captain Babar Azam said. "We know several England players are not well, but we hope to play against a full strength England side."
England's aggressive approach under new coach Brendon McCullum has seen the team rout New Zealand 3-0 at home this summer before registering a come-from-behind 2-1 win against South Africa.
McCullum's fearless approach has completely transformed England in red-ball cricket after a 4-0 loss in the Ashes series in Australia saw head coach Chris Silverwood get sacked and Ben Stokes appointed captain in place of Joe Root.
While lively wickets back home played a huge role in England new positive approach, the visitors might have to adapt quickly on slow wickets at Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi.
"Test match cricket is all about patience and you have to play session by session," Babar said. "Every team wants home conditions so we also want conditions that suit us and give us results."
The pitch at Pindi Cricket Stadium came under criticism when only 14 wickets fell during Australia's tour to Pakistan in March and the pitch was rated "below average" by ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle.
But England's approach to score at a rapid pace could counter the tactics of Pakistan, which will be without its spearhead fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who is ruled out of the series due to knee injury.
Pakistan has already named three spinners in its 18-man squad with left-armer Nauman Ali tipped to pair with uncapped 24-year-old mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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