Covid-19: England test cancelled after India unable to field team

Manchester - Physiotherapist Parmar had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

By AFP

Published: Fri 10 Sep 2021, 2:34 PM

Last updated: Fri 10 Sep 2021, 2:50 PM

The fifth and deciding Test between England and India due to start on Friday has been cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns in the tourists' camp just hours before the match in Manchester was due to start.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said fears over the coronavirus related to an outbreak among backroom staff had left the tourists unable to field a team at Old Trafford.

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Play should have got under way at 11:00 am local time (1000 GMT) but just over two hours before the start, the ECB announced the match would not take place.

"Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), the ECB can confirm that the fifth Test between England and India men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled," an ECB statement said.

"Due to fears of a further increase in the number of Covid cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team."

India cancelled their final training session and mandatory pre-match press conference on Thursday after reports that another support staff member had tested positive for Covid-19.

India were already without head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar, who had all previously tested positive.

It appeared the match was going ahead when a fresh round of tests within the India camp produced a set of negative results but following talks between the ECB and BCCI the fixture was called off.

Reports said several Indian players harboured concerns over the spread of the virus and were unwilling to play, meaning India could not put out a team.

India were 2-1 up in the five-match contest and bidding for just a fourth series win in England.

The status of the Old Trafford match -- and with it the fate of the series -- appears uncertain after the ECB retracted an initial statement that India had "forfeited" the game.

Covid is an acceptable reason for cancelling a match under the regulations for the World Test Championship if it has a significant impact on a side's ability to field a team.

The BCCI said in its statement it had offered to reschedule the match, adding: "Both the boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match."

The India squad have dealt with several Covid cases since arriving England in June for the inaugural World Test Championship final in Southampton, where they were beaten by New Zealand.

The first was in July when Rishabh Pant, the first-choice Test wicketkeeper, tested positive.

Rescheduling the fifth Test is complicated by the imminent re-start of the lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, which resumes in UAE on September 19.

The IPL, which started in India, was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.

"I'm sure people will be talking about the fact the IPL restarts in the UAE on the 19th and any postponement would push that back beyond the start of the competition," former England batsman Mark Butcher told Sky Sports.

Butcher added: "India are 2-1 up in the series and Virat Kohli as a captain is a man responsible for rekindling the love and the engagement of the Indian public with the Test match game.

"This decision would not have been taken lightly."