Soon after the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and ECB came to a conclusion to call-off the fifth and final Manchester Test following Covid scare, former England skipper Nasser Hussain levelled some serious allegations against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and opined that the upcoming second half of the IPL 2021 played a major role in getting the fifth Test cancelled.
Hussain believes that the BCCI were concerned about heavy financial losses they would incur if the IPL 2021 had to be postponed further in the case of players contracting Covid-19 during the Manchester Test. He also feels that players would not want to risk their participation in the tournament which was already impacted by Covid-19 earlier this year.
"Initially, the BCCI was always very concerned about this Test match. They wanted everything moved to make sure the IPL is a huge financial issue hanging over the game, over Indian cricket. They have already moved it, then moved it half of it this time around. Of course, this is about the IPL, but this is about players who are thinking: ‘If I get down positive here now, today, I have to do another 10 days’,” Hussain said.
Hussain also said that the IPL was non-negotiable for the Indian cricket board, adding that the BCCI was not too happy about the positioning of the fifth Test close to the IPL 2021, which is being held in the United Arab Emirates.
"You will recall that they tried to get it moved. Because of the finances involved, the IPL is non-negotiable to them. It simply has to take place. And so when a team pull out of a match like this, it reaches an inevitable but sad conclusion for Test ticket-holders. With no wriggle room for re-scheduling, the best they can hope for now is a stand-alone match in future."
Meanwhile, the English media have also levelled some serious allegations against the Indian players and slammed chief coach Ravi Shastri for the "bio-bubble" breach.
Just hours before play was set to begin at the Old Trafford, the game's cancellation was announced due to India's fears about a potential Covid outbreak despite all the players' latest PCR tests returning negative results.
Four members of the touring party have tested positive this week, with physiotherapist Yogesh Parma testing positive on Wednesday night and joining boss Ravi Shastri and two other members of his staff in isolation.
To this, Daily Mail in its report stated, "Why have India refused to play if not a single player has tested positive? India's players are desperate not to miss the resumption of the lucrative Indian Premier League in the UAE from September 19. It seems they took the precaution of cancelling their pre-match training session and isolating in their hotel rooms to this end.
"Indian head coach Ravi Shastri had tested positive after attending a busy book launch in a London hotel, along with the entire Indian squad. The ECB were already fuming about a decision which, they believed, jeopardised the Manchester Test, and this morning there were suggestions that members of the touring party were seen out and about in Manchester yesterday - despite promises from the BCCI after the book-launch controversy that they would tighten their protocols ahead of the fifth Test," it added.
Meanwhile, BBC also believed that IPL might have a lot to do with this call-off. "This is quite bizarre because last night the players all passed their PCR tests. We went to bed thinking the match would go ahead."
"I suspect the IPL would have a lot to do with this. It starts in 10 days' time. The players are on huge contacts. The IPL is worth 300m pounds to the BCCI. They are desperate to protect their product and the players protect their contracts. This stands to cost the ECB 20m pounds, one assumes there would be some negotiations about that with the BCCI. It is a shame Covid has interfered with a brilliant series," BBC correspondent wrote.
