The fifth Test between England and India has been cancelled after concerns over COVID-19 left the tourists unable to field a team at Old Trafford.
The series decider was due to get underway in Manchester at 11am (8pm AEST), but little more than two hours before the scheduled start a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the game would not be taking place.
The statement said India will “forfeit the match” although that line was removed in an updated version.
Concerns over the viability of the fixture first appeared on the eve of the match, when India cancelled their final training session and failed to complete their mandatory press conference.
It later emerged that the squad was confined to its hotel after a new positive case was returned by one of their backroom staff.
The threat appeared to recede when a fresh round of PCR testing came back negative on Wednesday evening, but after intense negotiations between the ECB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India the game was cancelled.
It is understood that a number of Indian players harboured concerns over the spread of the virus and were unwilling to take the field, meaning the tourists could not put up an XI.
A revised ECB statement read: “Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth Test between England and India Men due to start today at 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.”
India currently hold a 2-1 series lead.
Sedz
Guest
See my first response
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Cheers brother. Work and wife demands only let me immerse in one sport at a time. Cricket gets it's turn in 3 weeks. And I get the connection now, :thumbup:
Micko
Roar Rookie
I rarely see you here, and I know you're a leaguey, so I thought I'd throw it out there after literally just seeing the video just before you messaged. Strange coincidence! :stoked: :thumbup:
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
True, LoL.. though this is a cricket thread brother, but can't keep a good game quiet eh? :thumbup:
Micko
Roar Rookie
What were those Knights fans sooking about? Blatant penalty try!
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
very...
Ian
Roar Rookie
As Shakespeare once wrote.......Go the Scumbags!!!
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Yeah Ian there's not too much sympathy for the ECB, I sense, even in England. Considering the Hundred as you say, as well as the fact that England scarpered after someone in the hotel (?) got Covid when they were in SA (though that was before vaccination). And in the Indian players' defence, it might take more than a couple of days to test positive - though if they had done, you could have cancelled the match then perhaps. As for the Hundred winners, don't tell me, I've got this. Well I should because I actually watched highlights of the final. I think it was the Birmingham mob, because Moeen Ali was in it, against either the Oval Orangutangs or the Southern Scumbags. Thinking about it, I'm going for the Scumbags? Did I get it?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
The full story will come out one day. On both sides. May take a few years and retirements, but it’ll come.
Paul
Roar Guru
You're right, the timing is interesting. Of the three, only Bairstow would be able to claim bubble fatigue given he's the only one who's been in the Test camp for weeks. The other two have only been back in the squad for a few weeks and in the case of Woakes, has hardly played any cricket at all. Although the ECB denies it, this quote from Michael Vaughan seems telling; IPL teams chartering planes .. 6 days quarantining required in the UAE .. 7 days till the tournament starts !!!! Don’t tell me the Test was cancelled for any other reason but the IPL ..
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
See previous reply.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
And now you’re simply doing the equally obvious (and depressingly predictable) deflecting. Of course pretty much everything you now carp on about regarding the 100 and the SA tour has merit But it has absolutely zero relevance to what I called you out on. Whataboutism at its worst. You really should stop talking on this one.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Did you see the story overnight Paul of Malan, Woakes, Bairstow, Buttler pulling out of the IPL? It may very well be individual player fatigue/ bubble management. Though I also wonder whether this sudden and collective withdrawal is a bit of a soft protest, backed by back room discussions with the ECB, against the Test cancellation? It may not be, but the timing is interesting….
Sedz
Guest
Karma comes back. What were u doing when SA your was ditched? We're u in Hibernation? Just some hotel servers were tested positive, and England decided to pack the bags. Poor fans need to know how they behave when their team looses as well and u saw it in Euro finals rather than lecturing others.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
:laughing: When will it all end??
Ian
Roar Rookie
Good stuff Jeff! You did fail to mention the T5 though (They're thinking of calling it The 30) which will be aimed at the under 5's.They'll insist it will only take one hour to complete before the support base has to go nigh nighs.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I disagree Ian. They'll just schedule more and more. And it will all be disjointed. And conflicting. And we'll need 5-6 TV channels to even watch just half the games being played! A T10 channel (with a second channel for the 2028 Olympics), a 100 channel, several T20 channels (for franchise comps and international comps), and an ODI channel (that will be thrown in as a freebie if subscribing to the aforementioned channels, 'cause, really...) and maybe a Test match channel. Results of FC comps like the County Championship and the Sheffield Shield will be leaflet dropped from planes as there won't be sufficient digital bandwith left to address those tournaments :laughing:
Ian
Roar Rookie
The so called big three will meet up Jeff,have countless meetings,decide that something has to be done and then do......Nothing!!!!!!
Jeff
Roar Rookie
It's true Covid has played havoc with schedules, but even when things get back to normal, I wonder whether all this will be a turning point re acknowledging how out of hand the schedule is getting - domestically and internationally, across all nations. Probably not! And we have two T20WCs within the space of 12 months...the mind boggles.
Ian
Roar Rookie
Good comment Dave.My main point is that as soon as India arrived in this country,they were making noises about the timing of the final Test.That was 3 1/2 months ago.If the ECB weren't so arrogant they could have rescheduled the series so that the last Test was the final one.Instead they forced the ridiculous 100 on us ( BTW off the top of anyone's heads,can anyone name the team that won it?) I'm sure that SKY would have preferred the series to have finished earlier.The EPL is back today after the international break and that is all consuming here.It seems to me that the ECB tried to take on the BCCI and have got what they deserved.