The fifth and final Test between India and England at Old Trafford was called off just hours before the scheduled start of play on Friday, September 10. "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 canceled," said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a statement.
"Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, 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. Further information will be shared in due course," the statement further read.
The development comes on the back of intense discussions between the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and the ECB after India's assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar returned positive for a COVID-19 test on Thursday. It is also learnt that more than one India player had expressed concerns about taking the field in talks between the BCCI and the team management over the last two days.
The BCCI said it has offered to ECB a rescheduling of the cancelled Test match and both the Boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match. "The BCCI has always maintained that the safety and well-being of the players is of paramount importance and there will be no comprise on that aspect. The BCCI would like to thank the ECB for their co-operation and understanding in these trying times. We would like to apologise to the fans for not being able to complete an enthralling series," the BCCI said in a statement.
It was reported that the BCCI and some sections of the English media were not happy with Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli's "irresponsible" bio-bubble breach in London.
"Thankfully the nightmare scenario was avoided on Thursday night when it emerged all the players' PCR tests had come back negative. But it is a narrow escape for the game and clearly India coaches and players were irresponsible to attend a book launch at a London hotel outside their bubble, as revealed by Sportsmail, two days before the fourth Test at the Oval," the Daily Mail reported.
Shastri tested positive during the fourth Test at The Oval and has been in isolation since, along with bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physio Nitin Patel.
On Thursday, India's practice session before the final Test was cancelled after an Indian cricket board official confirmed that second physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday.
India lead the series 2-1 after a 157-run win in the fourth Test at the Oval in London.