The fifth and the final Test match between hosts England and visitors India was awaited by cricket lovers with much excitement with India taking an unbeatable 2-1 lead winning the fourth Test at the Oval, because the Indian fans wanted their team to seal the series win while the England fans wanted their team to bounce back and win the Test to share the final honours. Them all were set for a huge disappointment though. As soon as the junior physiotherapist of Team India tested covid-19 testing for travel positive on Thursday, the 9th of September 2012, each day prior to the fifth Test was to begin at the Old Trafford, total and clueless uncertainty enveloped the match; head coach Ravi Shastri and possibly one or two members of the team management including the senior physio (not confirmed) were already in isolation testing positive prior to the fourth Test. The practice session for India on that day was cancelled.
Since a physiotherapist is clearly to have involved with the players ‘physically’ there have been risks of players getting infected if the match was allowed to go on, and many cricket mandarins of India had the prospects of the IPL-2021 starting in nine days inside their minds. Perhaps getting concerned for the health of the English players a number of whom may also be going to play in the IPL to be followed closely by the ICC T20 World Cup, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) asked the Indian Board BCCI to forfeit the fifth match which meant that because eventuality the Series would be considered as drawn at 2-2. It had been also instinctive on their part as nobody will want their team quit, as it were, the Series with out a fight. The two respective Boards got into a relatively endless episode of deliberations without any communication to the players.
On Friday, the 10th of September 2021-the day the match was to start-the ECB changed its earlier statement slightly, now saying that India was struggling to field a team due to the physiotherapist’s infection and that the match was cancelled. The Indian Board also stated that fearing a rise in infections one of the playing members the match had to be cancelled. Meanwhile all of the Indian players were tested and found COVID negative. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma reportedly objected to the match being called off; however some other report said which they secretly wrote to the BCCI expressing their concern of more infections, since they felt today’s status of ‘COVID negative’ might easily change in the course of several days. Anyway, the Boards took quite a while in deciding, and announced that the fifth Test was cancelled just two hours prior to the scheduled start. Even the players of both teams didn’t know it beforehand.
Now, the verdict of the Series in India’s favour has been the largest question. If rains had beaten up the match India would’ve won the series undoubtedly, but even though the pandemic can also be an all natural calamity the question is about taking precautions and after the strict protocols, and some in the English camp felt that the Indians were not careful enough. However, we feel it is indeed unfortunate that the Series was held during an occasion when England decided to reside with the virus after vaccinating most of the citizens, and the matches were fully available to the spectators who were not even asked to wear masks, and in such a situation the players or the non-playing members might get easily infected while they move through the crowds on various occasions, at the least while moving through the pavilion stand. There was a smooth bubble and necessary tests were done from time to time; and so it will be not right the culprit the Indian camp for his or her supposed not enough taking adequate precautions.
It had been also reported that the ICC would intervene and give the final call on the state results of the Test Series. Perhaps to prevent an imbroglio or any injustice to any team both Boards finally made a decision to reschedule the Test sometime next year as there was hardly any time left now with the IPL-2021 starting in nine days followed the all-important ICC T20 World Cup-2021 in UAE. But the issue is not even close to being resolved, because if the lone fifth Test will be held as a standalone or one-off match then how was it to be considered included in the England Vs India Test Number of 2021, and when it wasn’t considered a component then it must be declared since India have won the Series at the 2-1 lead achieved after winning the fourth match.
Obviously, if the IPL-2021 could be split into two halves-first part already played in Indian venues and the other half in UAE venues-at different time periods with exactly the same league points and standings, then why don’t you apply exactly the same rule here too: support the cancelled or rather now postponed fifth Test any time in 2022 in England and treat it included in the 2021 Test Series, caused by which will finally decide the Series verdict. Depending on the newest international cricket schedule India is supposed to see England again in 2022. There’s an additional aspect of the matter: ECB stands to lose around 40 million pounds on broadcasting rights and hospitality sponsorships from the cancellation of the fifth Test, and therefore, it would be in the Board’s interest to reschedule the match and treat it as a the main present Series.
The money-game or the money-challenge is all around the game of cricket. Ideally, the series should naturally have now been decided in India’s favour and the players should have now been flown home immediately to give them the much-needed rest and to organize them well for the T20 World Cup. But no, the IPL needs to be completed for exactly the same monetary stakes for the Indian Board. Another ideal alternative would have been to reschedule the fifth Test in a week’s time, with regards to the situation, postponing the IPL-2021 to be held following the World Cup. But no again, for exactly the same reasons; the stakes involve not only the Indian Board, but a big chunk of international cricketers and cricket boards. So then, let’s wait and watch, and enjoy whatever is offered.
Finally, the pandemic is not even close to over yet, and it needs to be studied seriously. Cricket matches must continue being held under strict bubble and behind closed doors. Besides, it’s inhuman to keep the cricketers in a bubble-to-bubble scenario and the mandatory isolation as well as the endless tests for over per year now. Whatever function as stakes associated with cricket the matches should be held considering all humanitarian angles.
Chinmay Chakravarty is a huge cricket lover since his childhood days and played the game at school level and later for social enjoyment. After completing education he started writing on cricket–most on the aspects and games of Indian Cricket. He was an officer of Indian Information Service and superannuated from the post of Director, Press Information Bureau, Kolkata in November, 2019. Published his first solo book ‘Laugh and Let Laugh’ in 2017 and his second book ‘The Cheerless Chauffeur and Other Tales’ in 2021 covid-19 testing for travel.