Test call-off: Hussain, Vaughan blame IPL

London, September 11

Advertisement

Former England captain Nasser Hussain put the blame for the cancellation of the fifth Test between Indian and England on cricket’s hectic scheduling. Hussain added that the “packed schedule” and “the elephant in the room that is the Indian Premier League” had created the mess.

After several conference calls and feverish attempts by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to find a solution, the Test was called off because “the Indian players refused to play”.

Captain Virat Kohli is said to have conveyed on behalf of his players that Covid could strike the Indian camp in the next couple of days, because the negative test results on match-eve were not a guarantee of the infection not incubating.

BBC cricket correspondent and former cricketer Jonathan Agnew reported on Friday that India refused to play in order to protect the unfinished IPL, which is scheduled to resume in the UAE on September 19. The IPL is worth crores of rupees to several Indian players, and thousands of crores of rupees to the BCCI.

Utter mess

In his newspaper column, Hussain wrote on Saturday: “Sure, they (spectators) will get their money back but they will not get to see any action, will not be reimbursed for travel and accommodation and are missing out on what might have been a thrilling conclusion to a fabulous series. This was a complete and utter mess. Unfortunately, though, it is where we are in the world of cricket right now due to a packed schedule and the elephant in the room that is the Indian Premier League. As soon as Covid got into the tourists’ camp, some of the decision-making was about that tournament, and it is worth remembering that India have always been wary about the positioning of this Test match so close to it.”

‘It was about IPL’

Another former captain, Michael Vaughan, also believes the IPL was the reason behind the cancellation.

“Let’s be honest, this is all about money and the IPL. The Test has been cancelled because players were petrified of catching Covid and missing the IPL. In a week or so we will be watching the IPL and the players will be running around smiling and happy. But they should have trusted the PCR tests. We know a lot about this virus now. We know how to manage and handle it better. Players are double vaccinated and biosecurity can be raised very quickly,” wrote Vaughan in his newspaper column. — TNS, Agencies