ECB chief executive Tom Harrison says match would likely be a stand-alone fixture rather than the final match in this summer's curtailed series; he adds that all fans who bought tickets for this event will get their money back and remains optimistic that this winter's Ashes will go ahead
Sunday 12 September 2021 12:48, UK
England and India could face each other in a rescheduled Test after the cancellation of the fifth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, but the match is unlikely to decide the series, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that it is working with the ECB to find a window in the busy cricket schedule for the fixture, which was axed after the tourists were unable to field a team due to concerns over Covid-19.
However ECB chief executive Tom Harrison, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, said that any such game would likely be a stand-alone fixture and not form part of the current series - which India were leading 2-1 going into the final match.
"I think it will be a stand-alone situation," he said, when asked if the outstanding Test would decide the series or not.
"We've been offered other options, but I think a few hours into this we probably need to take a look. The glass-half-full version of this is playing a one-off Test match against India on this ground to give fans what they've missed out on.
"Let's work on that and deliver it. It would be the only good news to come out of a day like this. There are financial implications (for the ECB) to this, but we are taking steps to mitigate those and make sure it is as limited as it can be."
Concerns over the viability of the fixture first appeared on Thursday when India cancelled their final training session and failed to complete their mandatory press conference.
It later emerged that the squad was confined to its hotel after a new positive case was returned by one of their backroom team.
Head coach Ravi Shastri had previously tested positive for the virus during the fourth Test at the Oval, where he remains in quarantine with bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar.
The threat appeared to recede when a fresh round of PCR testing among the remaining members of the travelling party came back negative, but after intense negotiations between the ECB and the BCCI the game was cancelled.
It is understood that a number of Indian players harboured concerns over the spread of the virus and were unwilling to take the field, meaning the tourists could not put up an XI.
Explaining the decision to cancel the Test, Harrison added: "It's a really sad day. My heart goes out to fans.
"It's a special event when our two teams go on the park and we're absolutely gutted. There's no winners in this scenario and it's a sad day for Test cricket globally because internationally this game gets an absolutely astronomical audience. Everybody's upset by this.
"It became quite clear yesterday morning/lunchtime there was a problem. I think the anxiety levels in the Indian cricket team were causing serious concerns. It wasn't an outbreak of Covid, it was a perception of what might happen with the physio testing positive.
"Over the course of the day we gave as many assurances as we could to the players. Those tests came back again negative, but when you've got that sense of concern and anxiety in a dressing room - and we've been in this position ourselves - it can be difficult to reverse that."
In a statement, the BCCI said it "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" and Harrison said that the mental health of players must remain at the forefront of welfare in the game.
"I think fans do understand this now, but the physical and mental health of players is as important as each other," he said.
"When the mental health situation starts to happen it can pervade through a dressing room very quickly and it can be incredibly hard to get people where they need to be to deliver at the highest level possible."
Asked to address whether the ECB's insurance covered a cancellation for Covid-19, Harrison replied: "Yes, it does. We've got different types of insurance and it's a complex space.
"But the reality is all fans who bought tickets for this event will get their money back. As far as fans are concerned the only difference between a forfeiture and cancellation is the result (of the match and the series)."
England have no further Tests scheduled until this winter's Ashes tour to Australia - a series Cricket Australia remains confident will go ahead despite the challenges presented by a third wave of COVID-19 infections in the country
Harrison mirrored that optimism, saying: "Conversations are ongoing and it's looking better actually. We're working very closely with Cricket Australia and it's a very tricky situation.
"It's a complex scenario because you have different rules in place in different states with how Covid strategies are being adopted. I don't think we've got the clarity that we'd like to be able to explain to players what it's like.
"But we're zeroing in about what the issues are and the conditions of quarantine. What they would be subjected to, the length of quarantine and the precise schedule of how it looks because we've got some cross-border dynamics which need to be worked through.
"It's a conversation which now takes centre stage and we should always have the ambition in mind to go to Australia with our best squad. It's a conversation we're having in partnership with Cricket Australia and the Australian Government, all trying to get the right solution for everyone to feel comfortable about going."
