AFP, Manchester :
What happens now? That was the question cricket fans around the world were asking after the dramatic last-minute cancellation of the deciding fifth Test between England and India in Manchester.
Following all-night talks, it was not until shortly before 9:00 am local time (0800 GMT) Friday, just over two hours before the scheduled start and minutes before the gates at Old Trafford were due to open to a sell-out crowd of 22,000, that the match was called off due to Covid-19 fears within the
India camp — a decision that leave English cricket facing a financial ‘black hole’ estimated at o40 million ($55 million).
Reports a physiotherapist in close contact with the players had tested positive for Covid appeared to be the final straw in persuading an India side already missing head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar due to positive Covid tests, with senior physiotherapist Nitin Patel self-isolating, not to take the field.
England had been in a similar situation in December when their one-day series in South Africa was postponed amid fears Covid had infiltrated the team, even if two positive tests were later found to be negative.
“I felt at the time England let South Africa down,” former England captain Michael Vaughan told the BBC. “England flexed their muscles back then and I believe India have flexed their muscles.
“I honestly feel Indian cricket has let the English game down.”
Unlike last year, where teams were kept in bio-secure bubbles, the 2021 international season in England has seen restrictions loosened as officials felt it was unsustainable to expect sides to keep playing under such strict regulations.
But whether Shastri’s presence at a well-attended London launch of his new book two days before the fourth Test at the Oval, which India won by 157 runs, was acceptable under current guidelines remains a debatable point.
So too does England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison’s contention that fear of Covid, rather than Covid itself, was the reason behind the cancellation — a difference which could impact on the hosts ability to make an insurance claim.
“It doesn’t make a difference in respect of a ticket buyers; they will be paid back in full,” said Harrison. “It makes a difference in terms of the ECB balance sheet.”
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 fielding a team.
