Chicken or fish? Tea or coffee? What do cricketers eat and drink during breaks in Test cricket

Ollie Pope and Lord's menu

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England’s top-order batter Ollie Pope has offered fans a rare peek into what players consume during the much-discussed lunch and tea breaks in Test cricket.Speaking to Sky Sports, Pope revealed that players' eating habits vary significantly depending on whether they’re out in the middle or not."Generally like chicken, fish, maybe some steak with pasta, trying to fuel up as much as you can," Pope said, describing a typical lunch spread. "For me, if I am batting though, I don’t actually eat a lot at all, just because of some reason your body just doesn’t want to get too much in."Instead of a heavy lunch, Pope prefers to keep it simple when batting through the day. "So I have a protein shake and a banana. If I am batting all day, then I will get to the end of the day barely having eaten a thing, just because it’s quite hard to get it in, so you fuel up at the end of the day," he added.When it comes to the traditional ‘Tea break’ - a uniquely British part of Test cricket - Pope admitted that it’s not always about sipping tea."Some do [prefer taking tea]," he said. "I normally have coffee. Sometimes, a cup of tea when it’s a rain delay or something."Pope's 106 at Headingley helped the hosts draw first blood against India, but he has since struggled to convert starts, with a composed 44 in the first innings at Lord’s being his next best.England currently lead the five-match series 2-1 after a thrilling 22-run victory at Lord’s, with the action set to resume at Old Trafford for the fourth Test.

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