India vs England 5th Test 2021: 5th Test postponed, to be rescheduled; Series 2-1 in favor of India. Cricket News – Times of India

MUMBAI: The fifth Test between England and India starting at Old Trafford in Manchester has been postponed indefinitely, probably next year.
Until the fifth Test match is played, the series will be tied 2-1 in India’s favour. For now, the Indian team will wrap up their tour of England and go into a bio-bubble as per Indian Premier League (IPL) protocol and start planning their trip to the UAE.
Between Thursday night and Friday morning, the BCCI and England and Wales Cricket The Board (ECB) took part in a series of meetings that lasted until midnight and resumed at sunrise, UK time.

Throughout all this, the ECB maintained the following: a) a two-day delay in testing; b) Cancel.
The BCCI consulted with the players who did not explicitly state the idea of ​​forfeiture in return. “Play it at a later date,” he suggested. This would ideally mean that the BCCI agrees to a delay in Test play.
However, even a 24-hour delay in the Test could have put the second leg of the IPL at serious risk. The franchises have been camping in the UAE for almost three weeks now and they have a bubble ready where the players of the Indian team were to join after the fifth Test.

Moreover, the broadcast plans for the IPL, the financial position of the league, the business strategy of the season, etc. have already been determined and those tracking events say, “It is too late to make any changes to that schedule.” It’s over”.
The IPL cannot be delayed as it will then clash with the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup which will start a few days after the scheduled IPL final.
Therefore, postponing this fifth Test match even for a day will have a huge impact and affect many properties and plans.
Also, coming back to Team India’s camp, two things stand out clearly: a) Players don’t want to risk COVID and participate in this Test when they find out that their last 48 There has been an active case around. hours; b) The BCCI administration is divided over cancellation and postponement.
Those in the know, and even those with an industry perspective, say, “The safety of players is of primary importance. Everything else is secondary. Above this they are with their families. Nothing is above the safety of individuals.” Neither is there. If the test cannot be postponed, then cancel it.”
A major concern for players has been the gestation period in terms of contracting COVID, which takes anywhere between 48 hours to a week to show up in test results. “How can they take the risk,” say development trackers.
Now that the Test has been postponed indefinitely, the BCCI can start planning the IPL, followed by the T20 World Cup.
India, for the record, is scheduled to tour England in July 2022 for three One Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals. Tests can probably be scheduled around that time.