ENG vs IND: 5th Test called off after Covid-19 concerns

The fifth and final Test between England and India scheduled to start today in Manchester has been called off. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement announcing the cancellation.

“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.” the statement said.

On Thursday, Team India’s junior physio Yogesh tested positive for Covid-19, following which Team India’s training session at Old Trafford was cancelled. Earlier during the 4th Test, India’s coaching staff including head coach Ravi Shastri were isolated from the rest of the team members. Shastri initally returned positive results from a rapid antigen test, following which his RT-PCR test also returned positive.

India players tested negative for COVID-19 in the last round of testing

England and India were all set to play the fifth Test of the series in Manchester before dark clouds of COVID-19 loomed over. In the latest turn of events, the match stands cancelled. It has to be noted that earlier Ravi Shastri tested positive for COVID-19 which was followed by one more staff member of the Indian camp.

Earlier, it was reported that the Test might be pushed later but now it has been revealed that it is fully cancelled. As per the latest reports by ECB’s official website, India is unable to field a team, and to stop the further spread of COVID-19, the match will be cancelled. Had the match been pushed, the IPL schedule would have been affected big time which is all set to take place in the UAE from September 19.

Before the Manchester game, the series was 2-1 in India’s favour and it was expected that India can take away the full series in a full-fledged manner. However, last-minute COVID-19 protocols didn’t allow players to take the field and cancel the match instead.

It also has to be noted that during the last round of COVID-19 testing, all the Indian players have tested negative for the virus. However, it is expected that some cases may pop up in the coming days. The Oval game was won by India by a huge margin of 157 runs and skipper Kohli appreciated the character of the team in tense situations.

“The character that the side has shown, to come back from 100 run deficit showed that we were not down and out. I said at Lord’s as well, I am proud of the character, among the top three bowling performances I have witnessed as India captain. It’s relative to what you call flat, the field wasn’t wet like the first three days, the ball got scuffed up nicely, one side heavier, and exploited reverse swing perfectly. We believed as a team that we could get all ten wickets.

On Bumrah: “27 runs off 22 overs on this kind of pitch, a huge effort. When it started reversing he just said give me the ball,” said Kohli after the 4th match.