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After due deliberations between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about the current COVID-19 situation in the Indian camp, the authorities decided to cancel the fifth England-India Test hours before the scheduled start of play.
India were leading the series 2-1 going into the final match at Old Trafford. They were hoping to win this encounter and register their first Test series win on English soil in 14 years. Fans also eagerly awaited the match in anticipation of witnessing a riveting series finale in Manchester, but the Coronavirus played a spoilsport.
The players were reportedly apprehensive about the further spread of COVID-19 in the camp, as a few of the support staff members had already returned positive upon taking RT-PCR tests.
Fans were extremely disappointed with the news of the cancelation of the fifth Test. They took to Twitter to express their views on the matter and speculated about the possibility of rescheduling the match.
Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter:
"Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases, India are regrettably unable to field a team" - ECB's official statement after canceling the Test
The ECB has called off the Manchester Test between India and England and released an official statement to the media in this regard. They revealed that India were not in a position to compile a team for the Test due to the COVID-19 outbreak in their camp.
The ECB's media release read:
"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 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."
More information about the situation will be out soon as the BCCI is yet to release an official statement about the issue.
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