England's preparation for the first Test of the historic series against Pakistan has been dealt a major blow after several England players, including captain Ben Stokes, caught a viral infection.

The unwell players have been advised to rest, and as a result, did not participate in the final practice session at the Rawalpindi Stadium on the eve of the match.

The ECB and PCB later stated they were in discussions regarding "the commencement" of the Test, with the PCB tweeting: "The PCB and ECB are in discussions regarding the commencement of the 1st #PAKvENG Test as some England players are down with viral infection. The PCB continues to monitor the situation, is in contact with the ECB and will provide further updates in due course."

The boards released a statement saying that the decision on whether the Test would begin on Thursday would be made before the Test match.

"Subject to the England players not recovering well enough to take the field on Thursday morning, the Test will commence on Friday and will be a five-day match," the release said.

"The schedule of the second Test in Multan and the third Test in Karachi will remain unaffected and will be played as per original schedule i.e. 9-13 and 17-21 December, respectively."

England had already named their playing XI for the game, with Liam Livingstone in line for his Test debut and Ben Duckett back in the side after six years.

The series is crucial for Pakistan as they hunt for a place in the ICC World Test Championship 2021/23 Final. They are currently fifth in the table with a point percentage of 51.85 and will need to win as many of their remaining five Tests to remain in contention.

England's chances of making the Final remain mathematically possible, but they're realistically out of the race after a poor start to their campaign.

They are placed seventh in the standings with a points percentage of 38.6.