The fifth and final Test between India and England, which was due to begin on Friday (September 10) in Manchester, was called off at the eleventh hour after a fresh COVID-19 case was reported in the visiting camp.
India’s assistant physio Yogesh Parmar contracted the virus on the eve of the game while senior physio Nitin Patel had returned positive during the fourth Test alongside head coach Ravi Shastri and two other support staff members.
The turn of events had left the Indian players anxious and they weren’t willing to take the field, resulting in the match being cancelled with the tourists leading 2-1 after four Tests.
Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially written to the ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) for deciding the fate of the fifth Test at Old Trafford.
"Yes we have written to the ICC," an ECB spokesperson told PTI when asked if they want the global body to decide on the fifth Test.
ECB are staring at a loss of GBP 40 million, most of it won't be covered if COVID-19 is the reason for cancellation of the game.
It is learnt that ECB will push for a forfeiture of the fifth Test which would enable them to claim the compensation from the insurance company.
"Look, the one-off Test that BCCI has proposed will be standalone as Tom Harrison has said. Which means that it is not a part of this series. Therefore, if ICC decides that Indian cricket team which twice tested negative in RT-PCR was 'unable to field' the team due to Covid-19, then it will be acceptable non-compliance," a source in the know of things said, as quoted by PTI.
If ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee gives the verdict in favour of India then ECB will have to cope huge financial hit as most of the 40 million GBP is not covered under COVID-19 insurance.
Notably, the Indian cricketers have already left UK and most of them have arrived in UAE for the second half of IPL 2021. It goes without saying that BCCI's worry was the IPL schedule going haywire in case any of the top players returned COVID-19 positive during the course of the now-cancelled fifth Test match.
(With PTI inputs)
