The fifth and final Test between India and England at Old Trafford has been called off, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced.
“Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth LV= Insurance Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be canceled,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a statement.
“Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are unable to field a team and will instead regrettably forfeit the match. 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 statement added.
The development comes on the back of intense discussions between the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and the ECB after India’s assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar returned a positive Covid-19 test on Thursday.
It is also learnt that more than one India player had expressed concerns about taking the field in talks between the BCCI and the team management over the last two days.
India lead the series 2-1 after a 157-run win in the fourth Test at the Oval in London.
Earlier, Parmar was the fourth member of the Indian support staff to test positive for Covid-19 after head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R. Sridhar tested positive last week in London.
Parmar has been in close contact with many of the players, especially those like Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara who had complained of pain during the fourth Test at the Oval.
But the players later tested neagtive.