[Cricket] 5th Test Match England v India Cancelled

[Guinness Boy]

Hope the OP doesn't mind but I've edited the thread title to show the current position at a glance.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Is Broad back in to play?

 

[A1X]

India offer to reschedule the test (presumably to next summer when they're here for an ODI series)

[tweet]1436261305728610314[/tweet]

I can only assume the Indian press team doesn't understand the phrase "in lieu of", otherwise that's a quite revealing statement...

 

[Springal]

Indians never wanted to play the 5th Test on this date any way - they asked for it to be played at the start of the series due to the IPL. Horrible unsporting cheats

https://www.india.com/sports/cricke...ve-match-test-series-schedule-report-4679386/

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Quite an interesting contrast in media coverage of the issue.

Sky pundits (especially Nasser) very sympathetic.

TMS (esp Vaughan) very critical.

The paying punters (esp those who have booked accommodation etc) might well lean towards the latter.

 

[A1X]

Quite an interesting contrast in media coverage of the issue.

Sky pundits (especially Nasser) very sympathetic.

TMS (esp Vaughan) very critical.

The paying punters (esp those who have booked accommodation etc) might well lean towards the latter.

Of course one of those has rights to the IPL and international cricket in India and one does now. Even if we didn't know it wouldn't be a hard job to guess which.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Just waiting for someone from the ECB to bemoan the test match being sacrificed to ensure that a short form franchise based tournament isn't compromised.

 

[rippleman]

Indians never wanted to play the 5th Test on this date any way - they asked for it to be played at the start of the series due to the IPL. Horrible unsporting cheats

https://www.india.com/sports/cricke...ve-match-test-series-schedule-report-4679386/

Yup.

Looks like the ECB has allowed itself to be bullied by the BCCI. Why a BCCI statement and not a joint one?

What about all the paying punters? OK, they will get their ticket money back but what about travel, accommodation, lost holidays from work etc? If this is the way the cricket authorities treat their paying punters then no real surprise that Test cricket is on the wane.

 

[Bodian]

It seems to be back-room staff affected, not the players? So, no shortage within the team itself?

 

[Pevenseagull]

It seems to be back-room staff affected, not the players? So, no shortage within the team itself?

They were at the Oval test, noticeable that when they weren't available Pant started playing like a test batsman.

 

[Eeyore]

Absolutely. The players don't want to lose their lucrative IPL contracts and the BCCI don't want their product devalued by not having the best players in the world playing.

It's all about the money. Anybody surprised?

I feel sorry for those who bought tickets expecting to see some Test cricket; I hope the Indians have to compensate the ECB and Old Trafford for the costs they have incurred.

Particularly since by Manchester standards the forecast is pretty dry for the next few days.

If the main reason for this is that they're worried about the IPL, the fairest result would seem to be to record the series as 2-1, but have a whip around in the Indian dressing room to reimburse the £20m or so that this will apparently cost the ECB. And for all the other people who'll presumably be out of pocket for travel etc.

I assume Kohli must carry that sort of cash around, between his BCCI contract, IPL and whatever other leagues he plays in, and his face cream adverts, he must be loaded.

Yup.

Looks like the ECB has allowed itself to be bullied by the BCCI. Why a BCCI statement and not a joint one?

What about all the paying punters? OK, they will get their ticket money back but what about travel, accommodation, lost holidays from work etc? If this is the way the cricket authorities treat their paying punters then no real surprise that Test cricket is on the wane.

The relationship between the ECB and BCCI is a strong one. There has been an acknowledgment that this is more to do with fatigue. India have been in a bubble for four months now and they are shagged out with IPL and Tests and all coming like flies.

The problem is their coaching staff have gone down/isolating and I'm not even sure they have a physio left.

Folk go on with throw away lines about money etc but I can see it from the other side. It seems there is a willingness to play the final Test when they return next year.

It's an endless rotation nowadays and easy for those on our fat arses to enjoy, not so easy for those involved.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Just waiting for someone from the ECB to bemoan the test match being sacrificed to ensure that a short form franchise based tournament isn't compromised.

 

[Mackenzie]

Who pays for this cancellation?

 

[rippleman]

The relationship between the ECB and BCCI is a strong one. There has been an acknowledgment that this is more to do with fatigue. India have been in a bubble for four months now and they are shagged out with IPL and Tests and all coming like flies.

The problem is their coaching staff have gone down/isolating and I'm not even sure they have a physio left.

Folk go on with throw away lines about money etc but I can see it from the other side. It seems there is a willingness to play the final Test when they return next year.

It's an endless rotation nowadays and easy for those on our fat arses to enjoy, not so easy for those involved.

Then you don't make a commitment that results in fans spending their hard-earned and then pulling out on the morning of the first day because of "fatigue".

The cricketing calendar is planned well in advance so all the players know what their commitments were. I wonder if they would have been so "fatigued" if they didn't have the IPL restarting next week.

And whoever heard of a deciding Test being played months after the rest of the series? That's just a silly idea. Like next years cricketing calendar is going to be any less busy.

 

[A1X]

The relationship between the ECB and BCCI is a strong one. There has been an acknowledgment that this is more to do with fatigue. India have been in a bubble for four months now and they are shagged out with IPL and Tests and all coming like flies.

The problem is their coaching staff have gone down/isolating and I'm not even sure they have a physio left.

Folk go on with throw away lines about money etc but I can see it from the other side. It seems there is a willingness to play the final Test when they return next year.

It's an endless rotation nowadays and easy for those on our fat arses to enjoy, not so easy for those involved.

To be fair, nobody asked them to be in a bubble for four months. The World Test Championship was held some time before the first test of the series against England, they could easily have gone home then come back, it was their choice not to. Quite why I don't know given they didn't even play any warm-up games (other than one of those pointless intra-squad affairs). There's also bubbles and bubbles, the Indian players were not in an environment where they could not go out (indeed it seems most of the staff got it at Ravi Shastri's book launch in London), which is a lot less restrictive than any bubble England were in prior to this summer.

As for the financial side, there are three things here which I say could quite legitimately give people the right to question your assertion that this cancellation was not all about the financial / gamesmanship side of things;

1. India wanted the 5th test shifted as soon as the IPL was paused (due to Covid) earlier this year and rescheduled for this month.

2. India have just gone 2-1 up in the series and so had nothing to gain from playing this test, and despite positive cases around the camp at the Oval seemed to have no issue playing there with a game (and series) on the line.

3. When India saw a massive impact on their squad (through injury admittedly) in Australia earlier this year they found a way of playing the games (again when there was a series to be won), despite (as we know) India having one of the most inflexible and draconian lockdown procedures in the world for incoming people (look at the experiences of the tennis players at the Australian open at around the same time), whereas with the UK players regularly Covid testing can skip quarantine (hence why international and European football is still able to take place), meaning a solution could have been found if there was a will.

If all these players with their "Covid concerns" and "bubble fatigue" are turning out for IPL teams religiously for the next few weeks then I think it rather diminishes their argument. And I fully expect them to be doing so.

 

[Mellotron]

Then you don't make a commitment that results in fans spending their hard-earned and then pulling out on the morning of the first day because of "fatigue".

The cricketing calendar is planned well in advance so all the players know what their commitments were. I wonder if they would have been so "fatigued" if they didn't have the IPL restarting next week.

And whoever heard of a deciding Test being played months after the rest of the series? That's just a silly idea. Like next years cricketing calendar is going to be any less busy.

Exactly. This calendar wasn't forced on them at the last minute. It was their decision to agree to this schedule, so notions of "fatigue" are irrelevant.

Imagine Man City, coming up to last season's Champs League final;

"Actually Chelsea, we're pretty knackered from being in 4 competitions this season so we'd like to postpone the final til we're feeling a bit more full of beans. Cheers."

Laughable, obviously.

 

[Springal]

Who pays for this cancellation?

Will get super tricky. Technically it is a 'postponement' I guess - with it to be played next summer now.

The real shame is - the fans with expensive train tickets, hotels that they cannot cancel (to late) the local suppliers of food / beer etc

 

[maltaseagull]

Decent performance by England to draw the series 2-2. Well done Root and the team, faultless in the 5th test.

So refreshing to see none of our batsmen out for 0 and no collapses too.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

All those cucumber sandwiches gone to waste.
Dodged a bullet as it would have been another embarrassing defeat because England are useless at Test Cricket.
And it's another case of 'life is back to normal' while Covid is still around with infection rates rising.
Maybe the Indians just did not want to get infected.

 

[A1X]

Maybe the Indians just did not want to get infected.

Probably shouldn't have gone to Ravi Shastri's book launch, then.