Final Test between England and India cancelled due to Covid concerns

ECB release statement saying opponents are unable to field team for Manchester clash

The fifth and final Test between England and India was due to start at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday morning. Getty

The fifth and final Test between England and India has been cancelled due to the tourists' concerns over a possible Covid-19 outbreak.

Just hours before the scheduled start at Old Trafford, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement saying India would be unable to field a team.

The original statement suggested that India will “forfeit the match” although that line was removed in an updated version, which said: “Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled.

“Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team. 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 match in Manchester had already been in doubt after another member of the India backroom staff had tested positive for Covid-19.

Head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar have already been ruled out of attending the series finale following positive tests for the virus.

But an ECB spokesman said later on Thursday that all subsequent PCR tests from the India squad had produced negative results and that the Test “goes ahead".

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.

Any attempt to reschedule the Test would have been complicated by the Indian Premier League, which restarts on September 19 in the UAE.

Former India batsman Dinesh Karthik said the tourists had got the “jitters” after their second physio had tested positive for coronavirus.

Karthik, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and is currently in Dubai ahead of the tournament, told Sky Sports: “I spoke to a few of the guys and this is tiring. The problem is that this physio has got Covid and that’s when they got the jitters.

“If it was someone dealing with logistics they wouldn’t be this afraid. But you have to understand that as soon as this finishes they have got the IPL, then the World Cup, then the New Zealand series and we are literally talking about one-week turnaround. How many bubbles can they do?

“They assembled in India on May 16 and it’s four months now. That’s a lot of time.”

India went into the match with a 2-1 lead in the five-game series after their 157-run win at The Oval on Monday.

England v India: fourth Test player ratings

ENGLAND RATINGS: Rory Burns – 6. (5, 50) Set a platform for England in the second innings. The rest had been a struggle, with dropped catches, and a low score first time round. Getty

Haseeb Hameed – 6. (0, 63) Fought a plucky rearguard for two sessions of the fourth innings, but had another duck in the first innings and was involved in the Malan run out. Getty

Dawid Malan – 5. (31, 5) Run out during a mix up with Hameed on the last day when it was set up for him to make his name as a Test player. Getty

Joe Root – 6. (21, 36) A rare blank game for England’s captain. Even he couldn’t stem the tide on the final afternoon. Getty

Ollie Pope – 6. (81, 2) Made a bright return to the side in the first innings, but was powerless to repel Bumrah second time around. Getty

Jonny Bairstow – 5. (37, 0) Again fell short of the sort of a notable knock that would give his Test comeback substance. Getty

Moeen Ali – 5. (35, 0, [Did not bowl], 2-118) No significant contribution with the bat, and untrusted with the ball. Six catches in the match redeemed him somewhat. Getty

Chris Woakes – 8 (50, 18; 4-55, 3-83) Extraordinary return to Test cricket given how little of any sort of cricket he had played of late. Getty

Craig Overton – 5. (1-49, 1-58) Under-bowled when England’s attack were flagging in the second innings, suggesting a lack of confidence from his captain. Getty

Ollie Robinson – 7. (3-38, 2-105) Maybe it was just the docile nature of the pitch, but it looked as though his workload was finally catching up with him by the end of India’s second innings. Getty

James Anderson – 5. (1-41, 1-79) Looked even more world-weary than usual by the end. Is it possible he could have to sit out his home Test at Old Trafford? Getty

INDIA RATINGS: Rohit Sharma – 8. (11, 127) Another hefty contribution in a series full of them, with his first overseas ton. Getty

KL Rahul – 6. (17, 46) Fined 15 per cent of his match fee for dissent at his second-innings dismissal. Should not make too much difference to his bank balance. Getty

Cheteshwar Pujara – 7. (4, 61) A failure in the first innings, followed by a valiant contribution in the second – for the third Test in a row. Getty

Virat Kohli – 7. (50, 44) Two good starts, yet again no century. Had to make do without a coach to lean on at the vital phase of the game, but he thrived. AFP

Ravindra Jadeja – 7. (10, 17; 2-36, 2-50) Odd elevation in the batting order, but he did not let his side down with either bat or ball. Getty

Ajinkya Rahane – 4. (17, 0) A viable alternative to Kohli as captain a few months back. Now he will be lucky to keep his place. AP

Rishabh Pant – 7. (9, 50) A strike rate of 27 in the first innings and 47 shows he does have more than one way of playing. Getty

Shardul Thakur – 9. (57, 60; 1-54) A triumph. Two momentum-shifting half-centuries from No 8, and vital wickets of Pope in the first innings and Root in the second. Getty

Umesh Yadav – 8. (3-76, 3-60) Much like Woakes for England, he had a remarkable impact on his return, given his meagre game time in any form of cricket recently. Getty

Jasprit Bumrah – 8. (2-67, 2-27) The fact he took just four wickets in the match feels like a joke: his spell on the last afternoon broke open the game. AFP

Mohammed Siraj – 5. (1-42, 0-44) Ever willing, but lacking some of the zip of the early phase of the series. Could well get a break at Old Trafford. AFP