Proposed “standalone” test between India and England What should be considered as the series-deciding fifth match that was canceled last week COVID-19 Outbreak in Indian camp, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly told PTI on Monday and ruled out the possibility of treating it as a one-sided game.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has written to the ICC seeking the decision of the Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC) on the fate of the canceled match to be played at Old Trafford, Manchester. The ICC is yet to comment on the matter.
“We want the series to be completed because this will be our first series win (in England) since 2007,” Ganguly told PTI in an exclusive interview.
He clarified, “BCCI says Test cricket is the final format and we will not settle for anything.”
India were leading 2-1 when the match was called off last week after the visiting players refused to step on the field following positive COVID-19 cases among their support staff, including Head coach Ravi Shastri was also present.
A forfeiture would allow the ECB to receive an insurance reimbursement of £40 million which, it claims, would help cover its losses due to the cancellation.
Asked whether the BCCI has offered to play two additional T20 Internationals on the team’s tour for a white-ball series in lieu of Tests in July next year, Ganguly said: “We are looking forward to playing extra ODIs and T20Is. ready and it is not an issue.
Just that the Test match that will be played later will be the fifth match of the series. If the ICC feels that the match was abandoned due to COVID-19, India will officially win the series 2-1 as such cancellations are considered “acceptable non-compliance” under World Test Championship rules. Is.
“The series has a priority to be canceled due to COVID-19 in the last 18 months. The BCCI canceled their home series against South Africa last year which cost us around £40 to 50 million,” said the former captain.
He also hoped that there would be concrete “medical advice” on offer in the near future that would allow the series to continue even with COVID cases within the team.
“Because we understand how damaging it is to the game in terms of viewership and audience interest (TV and OTT), especially when the series is of such high quality. Test cricket is the first priority of the BCCI.”
Read | India vs England: What happened before the fifth and final Test was called off
Ganguly said the BCCI was “disappointed” that the match was cancelled, but it could not extend beyond a point to the worried players.
“We are extremely disappointed that this series had to be cancelled. The only reason is the outbreak of COVID-19 and the safety of the players. We could only push them to a point.
“But the pandemic is so severe that one can only travel that far,” he explained.
Asked whether the option of fielding the new team was being considered by resting some senior players who were not comfortable, Ganguly replied in the negative.
“No, it was not an option. If you look at Yogesh Parmar (junior physio who tested positive just before the match) every player had close contact,” Ganguly said.
“So obviously it was a cause for concern. It was something that nobody had any control over and their (players) families were traveling with them,” he said, justifying the concern at the camp.
ECB CEO Tom Harrison also said that every effort was made to rest the traveling players but the notion of “what could have happened” made them afraid to play.
Asked whether he would try to settle it “amicably” with Harrison and ECB chief Ian Whatmore during his personal visit to London on 23 September, Ganguly said: “Even in the Test match was also canceled amicably. I am going there and see, we will find out.”
.