5th Test: Manchester Test Cancelled Confirms ECB, BCCI Offers to Reschedule
There was uncertainty over the match after India physio Yogesh Parmar tested COIVD-19 positive on Thursday.
Virat Kohli in training before the Manchester Test.
Image: PTI
Manchester Test called off hours before it was supposed to begin.
BCCI and ECB will look to find a window to reschedule the Test.
On Thursday, India's physio tested positive for COVID-19 which led to concerns around the welfare of everyone and the fate of the Test.
Before India travelled to Manchester, Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar had already tested positive in London.
India led 2-1 before the Old Trafford Test.
India are slated to travel to England for 6 white-ball games in July next year.
Up Next, IPL!
Yes, so that's that for India's tour England, one assumes. Let's hope both teams return negative tests and those who have been affected recover well and quick!
The series stays at 2-1 with a decision awaited on the final Test as both boards look for a window. The Indian team will be back in UK in July in 2022 for a white ball series.
For now, the focus will mostly shift to the IPL as that is the next thing on the agenda for most of the players present at Old Trafford. The IPL's remainder begins on 19 September in UAE and will be followed by the Men's T20 World Cup in UAE in Oman from 17 October.
It's a Mess, Says Nasser Hussain
"While it is an evolving situation, it's a mess. The only thing I can tell you is that the final Test is off. There won't be a Test match here at Old Trafford. There's not one here scheduled for next year for the moment. This Test match is not happening. There is still a debate about who has forfeited and the actual result of the game, that hasn't been clarified yet. The ECB will work that out with India and the ICC in due course. So, there's been no forfeiture. It is just an evolving situation where this Test match has been cancelled and that will be the end of the Indian tour of England," said Hussain while speaking to Sky Sports from Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
Hussain expressed his sympathies with the Indian players after the team's second physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive for COVID-19. "I have a lot of sympathy with the Indian players. I think its their second physio -- the first physio with Ravi Shastri and rest of the backroom staff -- fifth day at The Oval, they had to isolate after testing positive. The second physio who had been treating all the players. You can imagine fifth Test match. There will be sore bodies, sore bowlers. You cannot do physiotherapy without close contact and without literally being in the faces. So have a lot of sympathy with all those players and even though they have tested negative, a couple of times now the incubation period, two or three days, they will be worried suddenly in the middle of the Test match, they test positive and suddenly three or four players have to go down and then you have COVID-19 subs, etc. It is a mess."
Test Cancelled; Safety First, Say BCCI
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have jointly decided to call off the 5th Test Match scheduled at Manchester in ongoing India’s tour of England 2021.
"The BCCI and ECB held several rounds of discussion to find a way to play the Test Match, however, the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Indian team contingent forced the decision of calling off the Old Trafford Test Match.
"In lieu of the strong relationship between BCCI and ECB, the BCCI has offered to ECB a rescheduling of the cancelled Test match. Both the Boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match.
"The BCCI has always maintained that the safety and well-being of the players is of paramount importance and there will be no comprise on that aspect," the BCCI statement on Friday afternoon read.
No Forfeit of Test, Say BCCI
"No question of forfeiting 5th Test, negotiations taking place on future course," BCCI VP Shukla was quoted as saying by ANI.
"After wide consultations between BCCI President, BCCI Secretary, Treasurer, me and Joint Secretary, along with ECB Chairman and CEO and in consultations with players, captain, senior players it was decided to call off this Test match which was slated in Manchester," he added.
"Those negotiations are taking place," he said when asked about the future of the Manchester Test match as it is a part of the World Test Championship.
Request to ICC
Currently there is still some doubt as to how the series will end or what will be the result with India 2-1 ahead. Cricinfo reported that
a query has been left with the ICC, who are expected to consult match referee Chris Broad on the matter.
The World Test Championship playing conditions, however, deem that a COVID-19 outbreak within a team is acceptable as a reason for a Test to be abandoned.
More Cases in the Contingent?
Cricinfo reports that the players and both boards, ECB and BCCI, suspect more positive cases could come up in the latest round of testing. Keeping that in mind, the BCCI were worried about not being able to field a team for the Test slated to begin 10 September.
Amended Statement by ECB?
The ECB's initial statement had said that India forfeited the Manchester Test. "Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are unable to field a team and will instead forfeit the match," the statement read.
However, there came an amendment soon after stating the Test had only been cancelled.
India's Next Tour of England
The Virat Kohli led Indian men's cricket team will next tour England in 2022 for 6 white ball games in the first half of July.
Will the Test be rescheduled then?
India-England Series Score
Before the Old Trafford Test, India had edged ahead and taken an unassailable 2-1 series lead at The Oval. India won both their Tests in London.
However, with the Manchester Test called off, there is still no official word on the final score.
5th Test In Manchester Cancelled
An ECB statement reads, "Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth LV= Insurance Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled.
Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team.
We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many.
Further information will be shared in due course."
Day 1 Called Off in Manchester Test
The opening day of the fifth and final Test has been called off. COVID-19 fears in the India camp mean that the Test will not start today at Old Trafford, Manchester, according to Indian Express.
The Indian contingent has returned negative RT-PCR tests on Thursday, and a second round of testing was also done on the same with results expected on Friday.
India's Playing XI
India were expected to make changes for the Manchester Test with R Ashwin and Mohammed Shami in line to replace Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.
Bumrah has so far bowled 151 overs in 4 Tests and Jadeja is nursing an injury. Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma were also nursing niggles according to reports.
The BCCI and the ECB are reportedly in meetings to figure out the way forward. According to a Cricinfo report one player has expressed concerns over playing the Test.
A big chunk of the players are set to travel to UAE right after the Test with the IPL's remainder to begin on 19 September.
India’s fifth and final Test against England at Manchester is all set to be postponed after COVID-19 hit the Indian camp on Thursday. According to reports, the Manchester Test will not begin on 10 September. A date for Day 1 of the Test isn't available yet either.
There was uncertainty over the match being played after Indian physio Yogesh Parmar tested COIVD-19 positive on Thursday.
Parmar had been monitoring several players, including Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma – players with various niggles – during and after the fourth Test that ended on Monday.
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