The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly offered ECB to play additional matches when India visits England for a tour in 2022 in July, apart from a Test match in Manchester itself, to make up for the loss of the fifth Test of the recent series was canceled.
The fifth Test, which was to take place in Old Trafford, Manchester from September 10, had to be canceled after the Indian players’ apprehension to take the field after COVID breakout in support staff.
Head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach B Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physio Nitin Patel tested positive for the virus before the fourth Test in Oval, while second physio Yogesh Parmar tested COVID positive two days before the fifth Test was to begin. He was treating a number of players in the Indian team who were asked to isolate themselves in their hotel rooms.
While the first round of RT-PCR testing came out negative for all the players, as per reports, they were worried about a positive case coming up when the Manchester Test was being played and the potential ramifications of the same.
If any player had tested positive for COVID during the match, the entire team would have had to isolate for 10 days in the UK before being allowed to fly out.
The players had to join their IPL franchises in the UAE and many of them were with their families and were worried for them as well. Any delay in flying out from the UK would have a cascading effect on the IPL and as a result on the T20 World Cup 2021 as well.
Meanwhile, as per the report by the Hindu, the BCCI has now also offered the ECB to play additional T20I matches, apart from a Test match in Manchester itself, when India tours England in July 2022.
The Hindu reported that while negotiating the cancellation of the Manchester Test due to COVID-19-related reasons, the BCCI has proposed the next year’s tour being expanded into one Test, five T20Is, and three ODIs.
According to a BCCI official, citing anonymity, the proposal will not only “help ECB recover some losses” incurred but also “further strengthen” the relationship between both the Boards.
The ECB earlier this week announced India’s limited-overs tour to England in 2022, with three ODIs and three T20Is to be played from July 1 to 14.
(The Hindu inputs)
