ENG vs IND: Manchester Test called off due to COVID-19 fears

The fifth Test between England and India has been cancelled due to fear of a further increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The match was put in jeopardy after a series of COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp. Days after head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physiotherapist Nitin Patel tested positive for COVID-19, assistance physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for the COVID-19.

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Even though the team had tested negative for the virus, few Indian players were not happy with the match going ahead and expressed their concerns to the BCCI. The ECB confirmed the development in a statement.

“Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth LV= Insurance Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled.

India are unable to field a team and will instead regrettably forfeit the match. We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many,” read a report from ECB.

There is no official confirmation about the result of the series. The ECB earlier in its statement said that India forfeit the match, which would have given the points to England, and the series would have stood at 2-2.

However, they updated their statement and removed the word forfeit. If the Test is called off, the match will end as no result, and India would be declared winners of the series by 2-1. However, we'll still have to wait for an official confirmation from the boards regarding the scoreline of the series, which is likely to have a huge impact on the World Test Championship as well.