England-India fifth Test at Old Trafford cancelled over Covid-19 fears in tourists' camp

PCR tests on the Indian players on Thursday came back negative, but there was concern in the visitors' camp about the potential impact of the virus spreading any further, with the IPL starting next week

The fifth Test between England and India at Emirates Old Trafford has been cancelled after the touring side declined to play.

Several of the Indian backroom staff have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past fortnight and, following the most recent set of positive tests, there was considerable concern among the squad about the possibility of a wider outbreak, which could threaten participation in the Indian Premier League and T20 World Cup.

Bubble fatigue among the group also played a prominent role in their reluctance to take to the field, while ECB chief executive Tom Harrison described the decision as being taken in the interests of the Indians' mental health. 

Physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive on Wednesday night and is now in isolation, alongside head coach Ravi Shastri and two other members of the travelling party.

PCR tests on the Indian players on Thursday came back negative, meaning the game could have gone ahead, but the visitors were worried about the potential impact of the virus spreading any further through the camp, potentially forcing another stint of quarantine at the end of a four-month tour. 

The IPL resumes in the UAE on September 19, just five days after the scheduled end of the fifth Test, and the proximity of the two events has always been something of a sticking point between the ECB and the BCCI. Reports earlier this summer suggested that the BCCI even tried to have the fifth Test moved to allow for a bigger buffer between the series and the resumption of the IPL.

India's stars are due to fly to Dubai on Wednesday. It is possible the tourists will now depart for the UAE earlier than scheduled.

Chennai Super Kings chief executive Kasi Viswanathan told ANI that the franchise would look to bring their players - Ravindra Jadeja, Sharkul Thakur and Cheteshwar Pujara - into Dubai via a charter flight on Saturday.

Harrison told journalists that he did not think the IPL's timing was in any way responsible for the Indian touring party's position.

In the context of the players' negative PCR tests and their willingness to continue playing in the fourth Test at the Kia Oval after Shastri went into isolation with the virus, the decision not to take part in the fifth Test does seem to have been player rather than public health driven.

The BCCI have offered to reschedule the game, and it is understood that the two governing bodies are in discussions over a potential date for the rearranged fixture. However, a decision needs to be made on whether the cancelled contest in Manchester this week will count as a forfeiture or not. That decision, which could take some time to be delivered and will likely be made by the ICC, will have considerable effect on English cricket finances with insurance payouts unlikely to come from any Covid-related cancellations. 

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, said on Friday that any rearranged game would have to be a stand-alone contest, separate from the 2021 Test series. 

Meanwhile, event organisers will now start counting the cost of the cancellation.

^{India say they were unable to field a team for the fifth Test because of Covid-19 concerns}

Test matches are worth around £30million to English cricket, in a combination of broadcast deals, ticketing and other commercial activities, while there will also be a dent in the Manchester economy.

Lancashire, the county which operates Old Trafford, have promised a full refund to all ticket-holders.

Old Trafford was sold out for the first three days, with 22,000 fans set to be disappointed on each.

An 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 Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled. 

Is the fifth Test cancellation about the IPL?@nassercricket and @Athersmike join @WardyShorts to discuss the reasons for the Old Trafford Test being cancelled.

📺 Watch on Sky Sports Cricket 👉 https://t.co/fk7UysTMen pic.twitter.com/cx2A79TlKe

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 10, 2021

"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."

The result of the series, which currently stands at 2-1 to India, has yet to be confirmed. 

An early release of the ECB statement included a line suggesting that the visiting side had forfeited the match at Old Trafford, but was quickly amended.

Under the terms of the World Test Championship, Covid-19 is an acceptable reason for not taking part in a scheduled tournament match, if it has significant impact and a team are unable to field an XI.

^{India's players declined to take part in the fifth Test}

In that event, the conditions state, points will not be allocated and there will be no further ramifications for the WTC standings as they are determined on percentage of available points won. However, the citation of Covid as the reason for the match being called off would have an impact which stretches beyond the field and into the sport's finances.

"Today is all about making sure that we have fronted this in terms of what has happened and why it has happened," Harrison told TMS.

"What the situation is with respect to the immediate term, thoughts will turn to that soon and that’s not a decision for us, it’s a decision for the ICC to think about in the context of the World Test Championship.

"No one is trying to score points here, if you will pardon the pun. It’s about making the right decisions, given the context of what’s taking place and to be fair to each side, and that’s all we’re asking for. That process will take place over the coming weeks. That’s not something that concerns us unduly; we just expect the people that are in those positions to make those decisions."

In a statement, the BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah said an offer had been made to the ECB to reschedule the game. Shah said that the decision to cancel the Old Trafford Test had been made "jointly" with the ECB.

"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 statement said.

"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 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."

"This lot are going from bubble to bubble to quarantine to quarantine, and it is not sustainable"

Nasser Hussain has sympathy for India's players

England's players have themselves pulled out of a series during the Covid era - in South Africa last December, following a breach of the bio-security arrangements at their accommodation in Cape Town.

At the time, the touring white-ball group lost faith in the bubble protocols, with managing director of England men's cricket Ashley Giles saying: "The thing that really raised the levels of anxiety and nervousness were that we were coming into a biosecure environment and from very early on it appeared it wasn’t biosecure.

"There’s clearly concern when infections spring up in what is a supposed to be a biosecure environment. It wasn’t one case. There were a couple of [hotel] staff members, a couple of South African players. That’s the bit that really affected our touring group."

It is possible that India found themselves in a similar state of mind, especially given the rigours of touring under Covid regulations.

Dinesh Karthik, the former India international, told Sky Sports about the nervousness within his compatriots' bubble.

"I spoke to a few of the guys. The general feeling is, after the fourth Test, this is tiring. Almost all of the games have gone down to the wire, they're tired and they have only one physio right now. They had two but one went down, along with a couple of the coaches," he said.

"So they had one physio and they'd done a lot of work with that man and now he tests positive. That is the problem. If it was somebody else, somebody helping with logistics, they wouldn't be this afraid. But when this person got it, that's when they got the jitters.

"You also have to understand as soon as this finishes they have the IPL, soon after that the World Cup, and soon after that the NZ series. You're talking about one-week turnarounds, how many bubbles can they do? They assembled in India on May 16, it's four months almost now."

Former England captain Nasser Hussain also has sympathy for the Indian team, who are certainly not alone in expressing anxiety about cricket life in the Covid era.

Hussain said: "This lot are going from bubble to bubble to quarantine to quarantine, and it is not sustainable.

"The tight bubble is no longer sustainable and this Indian group will go from here - from a year in a bubble - to an even tighter bubble in the IPL. 

"Then they’re going to the World T20, which we’re hearing is an even tighter bubble in a hotel: you don’t go out.

"So it is about the IPL, but it’s also about players thinking ‘can I do another 10 days?’"

^{India led the series 2-1 going into the final game}

However, there is understood to be frustration within the England and ECB camps about the decision by several Indian coaches and players, including Shastri and captain Virat Kohli, to attend a crowded book launch in London last week. England's authorities have relaxed the majority of Covid restrictions over the summer, meaning the event was subject to neither facemasks nor social distancing, the Daily Mail reported.

The launch, in Victoria on August 31, preceded Shastri's positive test, which came during The Oval Test. India's players at the time opted to return to the field to complete the match, which they won with a superb comeback performance. 

The ECB were not consulted about the public appearances in advance. 

For Lancashire, the impact of the cancellation will be substantial. 

Old Trafford was one of two venues which became stringent bio-secure bubbles in the summer of 2020, for modest fees, to help the ECB stage series against Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland and Australia, protecting broadcast revenues and delivering elite live cricket at the height of the pandemic on these shores. 

However, the stadium's income was considerably hit by Covid restrictions which prevented its conferencing and events facilities from being operational for more than a year, sending projected revenues down from £9million to zero. The county's chief executive, Daniel Gidney, says the cancellation of the Test presents a "multi-million pound" hit to the club.

Lancashire turned an operating profit of £106,000 in 2020, down from £7.6million in 2019, and can scarcely afford another blow of this size.

In a statement, the club apologised to those who had bought tickets for the game, and promised a full refund, while when speaking to the media Gidney explained the extent of the damage his county faces.

"These are unprecedented circumstances," Gidney said. "We're in mitigation mode at this point. We will need to work through this with the ECB.

"How big are our losses? We're talking about significant sums here. We're talking over seven figures. It's multimillions of pounds. It's very challenging. We will need to work with the ECB and others to support us through this."