Rawalpindi test: England win toss, opt to bat first against Pakistan  

Rawalpindi: England captain Ben Stokes has won the toss and opted to bat first against Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Test on Thursday as scheduled after the tourists confirmed they are able to field an XI. 

England's first Test in Pakistan for 17 years gets under way with the fifth and final day taking place on Monday (December 5). 

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and England-Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that 1st test match in Rawalpindi will start as scheduled. 

The ECB confirmed that they are in a position to field playing XI for the match. However, changes are expected to the playing squad that England had announced 48 hours ahead of the match. 

The prospect of the Test being delayed arose after an illness swept through the touring camp, casting doubt over whether they would have enough fit players to take the field.  

The illness, which is believed to be a virus, affected approximately 13 to 14 members of the England camp, including captain Ben Stokes. 

In the meantime, there are four debutants in the Pakistan line-up for the first Test, including Saud Shakeel, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali and Zahid Mehmood.

England has two debutants – Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone. 

Playing XIs

Pakistan Squad

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

England Test squad

Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Joe Root, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.