BackIndia-England 5th Test cancelled due to Covid concerns
The match was thrown in doubt after India physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday
PremiumIndia's fifth and final test against England, scheduled to begin later on Friday in Manchester, is postponed after a COVID-19 case in the tourists' camp, an Indian cricket board official said.
“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," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.
“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."
ECB concluded the statement by announcing that further information will be shared in due course.
This after long the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had long discussions on Thursday and Friday.
The players tested negative but with the 96-hour incubation period also factored in, they didn't want to risk testing positive and ending in 10-day quarantine according to BCCI sources.
"NO PLAY TODAY," commentator and former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik tweeted.
Ahead of the fifth and final Test against England, Parmar tested positive for COVID-19 in Manchester. This had led to Team India's training session for Thursday afternoon being cancelled.
This came after India head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar returned positive results to their RT-PCR tests during the fourth Test.
They are currently undergoing isolation and can come out only after returning two negative results.
On Sunday, just half an hour before the start of play on Day 4 of the fourth Test, the BCCI said its medical team had isolated Shastri, Bharat Arun, Sridhar, and physio Nitin Patel as a precautionary measure after Shastri's lateral flow test returned positive on Saturday evening.
The remaining members of the Team India contingent had undergone two Lateral Flow Tests -- one on Saturday night and another on Sunday morning. The members upon returning negative COVID reports were allowed to proceed for Day 4 of the fourth Test at The Oval against England.
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