Joe Root was absent from England’s training session on Sunday, January 12 due to illness.

England’s captain stayed back at the team hotel in Port Elizabeth with an upset stomach, and with the third Test due to start on Thursday, faces a race against time to get fit. The series is currently level at 1-1 after England’s victory at Cape Town.

England’s tour of South Africa has been ravaged by illness, with 11 players going down at some point or another. Ollie Pope missed the first Test due to illness, while Jack Leach has played no part in either of the first two games after being particularly badly affected.

Root himself was struck by illness during the first Test match and it is unknown if this is a recurrence or a new bug. The England squad currently contains just one backup batsman, Jonny Bairstow, with no replacement named as yet for injured opener Rory Burns in the squad.