India snub may cost ECB £40m

ENGLISH cricket was yesterday plunged into chaos after the last-gasp cancellation of the fifth Test because of Covid concerns in the India dressing room. It left the ECB fighting to avoid potential losses of £40million, haggling with their Indian counterparts over the result of

the match and, in private, furious at the tourists’ lax approach to Covid precautions. Chief executive Tom Harrison admitted: ‘We’re absolutely gutted.’ The Indian board (BCCI) later offered to reschedule the Manchester Test, though if that proves impossible the ECB will push for a forfeiture and a 2-2 share of the series — a decision to be made by the ICC. In the hope of allowing the ECB to recoup some of their losses through insurance, Harrison insisted the Test had been called off on mental-health grounds, with India’s anxiety levels rising after physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive on Thursday. A Covid-related cancellation would find no favour with insurers, but the ECB intend to use the fact the whole India squad returned negative PCR tests on the eve of the game to argue that the virus did not cause the abandonment. ‘You lose an India Test match, of course there is a financial implication,’ said Harrison. ‘We are trying to work tooth and nail to make sure that’s as limited as it can be.’ A tumultuous day began at midnight, 11 hours before the scheduled start, when four senior India players, led by captain Virat Kohli, made it clear they did not want to proceed with the Test as fears spread about their proximity to Parmar. By 6am, after a sleepless night, Harrison concluded England’s only option was to claim a forfeiture. Two hours later, news broke that the game was off, spoiling the plans of 80,000 spectators across the first four days, and prompting anger in the home camp about the Indians’ behaviour in what Harrison called a ‘Covid-managed environment’. As Sportsmail reported earlier this week, India coach Ravi Shastri tested positive after attending a book launch at a London hotel, where 150 unmasked guests mingled freely. It is understood the touring party assured the ECB that the evening — to mark the publication of Shastri’s book Star Gazing: The Players In My Life — would consist of no more than a team dinner. Anger in the England dressing room turned to fury as news filtered through that several India players had been spotted out in Manchester during the build-up to the Test. As yesterday morning unfolded, the BCCI sought to defuse tension by offering to replay the game, though exactly when was unclear. India return in July for six whiteball games, but the only gap in England’s schedule — 16 days between the third T20 and the first Test against South Africa in August — is earmarked for the Hundred. Last night, the ECB could not even rule out playing the stand-alone Test at the same time as the T20 series against India, with the teams forced to field two sides simultaneously. A rescheduled match would save the board part of the £25m paid by broadcasters, though Sky are likely to pursue some recompense, arguing that a one-off game lacks the value of a series decider. If the ICC rule in favour of India’s decision not to play, and hand them a 2-1 win, England would have to take up the matter with the Dispute Resolution Committee.