Q&A WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

THE TEST WAS ON WHEN INDIA’S PLAYERS TESTED NEGATIVE ON THURSDAY, SO WHAT HAPPENED?

IT SHOULD have been the cue for them to play on but instead a group of players, including captain Virat Kohli, presented a letter to the BCCI at midnight saying they were unhappy about going ahead because their physio had Covid. Cue a night of pandemonium and little sleep for ECB chief executive Tom Harrison, before it was called off around 8am.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

CHAOS! First the ECB said India had forfeited the Test, then they withdrew that while crisis talks between the boards continued. Now it will be down to the ICC to decide if India have won 2-1, it’s a 2-2 draw or the teams come back to Old Trafford next year to play a decider.

ultimately the sell-out crowds miss out, even though they get a refund on tickets, and the ECB are left with a £30million black hole unless they can convince insurance companies — or the BCCI — to pay out. Lancashire are left with a £7m bill, too.

AT LEAST IT MEANS INDIA’S PLAYERS WILL BE ABLE TO GET TO THE UAE FOR THE IPL ON SEPTEMBER 19?

DON’T be facetious! But that is the crux of the matter. There is little doubt the Test would have been played had India not been booked on a flight to Dubai next Wednesday, even though ECB chief Tom Harrison kept a straight face when he said yesterday it was nothing to do with the IPL. As he spoke, arrangements were hastily being made for most of the IPL players to fly out today.

WELL, IT WAS GOING TO RAIN DURING THE TEST ANYWAY, WASN’T IT?

NOT a drop fell on Old Trafford throughout the scheduled hours of play yesterday. If only we’d had two teams prepared to play out the climax of a classic Test series.