Ind vs Eng: ECB, BCCI to try 'finding a window to reschedule' 5th Test

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to reschedule the fifth and final Test after it was cancelled due to the Indian players' reluctance to play it following emergence of a fresh Covid-19 positive case.

 

"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," said BCCI in a statement.

The BCCI along with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had earlier jointly decided to call off the fifth Test scheduled at Old Trafford in Manchester.

"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," the BCCI added further in the statement.

"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," it said further.

What would be the scoreline for IND vs ENG five-match series?

As of now, India is 2-1 ahead and have not been officially declared winners simply because there could be a chance of the fifth Test being played during the window in July next year when the team visits for a six-match white-ball series.

"There remains a possibility that match will be played later some time," news agency PTI quoted a BCCI source.

"The BCCI would like to thank the ECB for their co-operation and understanding in these trying times. We would like to apologise to the fans for not being able to complete an enthralling series," it added.

On Thursday, team assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar had tested positive a few days after head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar had tested positive.

India lead the five-match series 2-1 after a 157-run win in the fourth Test at the Oval in London 

The capacity of Old Trafford is approximately 21,500, and fans, who bought the tickets, would be disappointed. They will be reimbursed as per the ECB's cancellations policy, but it's a big hole in Lancashire's finances.

According to media reports, UK TV channel Sky Sports News has been reporting that the final scoreline of the five-match series will be determined by match referee Chris Broad.

ECB statement on Manchester Test

The initial statement issued by the England Cricket Board categorically mentioned the word "forfeit" but that was later omitted from a revised media release.

"Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team," read the revised England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement.

A Covid-related quarantine would have meant missing out on IPL matches, starting September 19.

"Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled," the ECB stated.

"We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many," it added.

So how many points England and India would get in ICC World Test Championship points table?

Under the competition terms of the World Test Championship, Covid-19 is identified as "acceptable non-compliance should there be a significant impact of it on the team being able to play."

This is because the match can remain cancelled from the competition and with ICC using percentage points system based on points won in matches played, a cancelled match is of no value to any team.

Covid impact on Indian Premier League

The Indian players had tested negative for the virus on Thursday evening but the 96-hour incubation period also factored in, they didn't want to risk returning positive and ending in 10-day quarantine.

It could also have meant a 10-day isolation for some of the players, who play in the Indian Premier League.

There were many questions that cropped up during the last 12 hours for BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah with a number of factors being taken into account.

The Indian and English players were supposed to fly together in a charter flight. Also, deferring the game by a day or two would have caused logistical issues.

 
When will the 5th India vs England Test be played?
 
The IND vs ENG 5th Test was cancelled on September 10, Friday over Covid-19 fears.
 
Where IND vs ENG 5th Test was scheduled to be played?
 
The venue for the fifth England vs India Test was The Old Trafford, Manchester.
 
Why India vs England 5th Test was cancelled?
 
The fifth test match between the Indian cricket team and the England cricket team was cancelled as the Indian players raised their appreshion over playing the Manchester Test after India's assistant physio tested positive of Covid on September 9, 2021.
 
Squads of both the teams:
 
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur
 
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton.