Eng vs Ind 2021 – Abandoned, Confiscated or Postponed? Manchester test result will have big repercussions for the ECB

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The ICC could rule; if the test is not rescheduled, the ECB wants the status to be “lost” to equalize the series and claim insurance payments

The match is over, but the fight for the result may only be beginning.

Right now, as the ECB and BCCI sift through the fallout from the Test that never existed, we don’t know the outcome of the match or the series. We don’t know if the series will be completed in the 2022 English season, or if a spot test will be planned to mitigate the substantial losses suffered by it. We don’t even know for sure what the insurance implications are.

The basic facts are as follows: if the Test is deemed by the ICC to be canceled due to Covid, the game will be considered discontinued. As a result, the series will end (at least for now) with a 2-1 victory over India. This scenario would also mean that the ECB would not receive any insurance payments as it is not covered for this eventuality.

But if the ICC decides that India has indeed withdrawn, the game will be awarded to England and the series result will be considered 2-2. This scenario would also allow the ECB to apply for insurance reimbursement.

The compromise solution, proposed by the BCCI, is the rescheduling of this match. With Indian white ball teams set to tour England in 2022, it would appear that there is a small window available for such a solution, although even then it is unclear whether the match would be treated as a standalone match or as a completion of the current series.

“We just need to catch our breath and ask the ICC to officially rule on the outcome of this,” said Tom Harrison, chief executive of the ECB. “BCCI offered to reschedule the game, which is good news. But if it’s part of this series, a new one-game series or the first game of another series, I don’t know yet. .

“These are things we have to take time on. I know the fans will be eager to know. The players are too. But we have to take time in these situations.”

While public statements from both councils seemed dovish, ESPNcricinfo has learned that, behind the scenes, the action has been just as competitive as anything we’ve seen on the pitch. The ECB has claimed that if there is no changed date for the game, the test should be deemed to have been canceled by India. This would not only put the series in line at 2-2, but would allow the ECB to claim insurance payouts on lost income, which could well exceed £ 30million (around $ 41.6million).

The ECB is not covered by insurance in the event of cancellation impacted by the Covid. While Harrison originally appeared to imply it was in an interview on Sky Sports, he later clarified to confirm that it was not. Instead, he confirmed that all ticket holders will be reimbursed by the ECB. Most importantly, he argues that the match was not canceled due to a Covid outbreak, but due to fears of a Covid epidemic.

ICC World Testing Championship terms accept Covid outbreaks as an acceptable reason for dropping out of a match, tour or series if it has a “significant impact” on a team’s ability to field a squad . That they accept the fear of Covid as a reason for abandonment remains to be seen. Harrison – and separately Dinesh Karthik, who worked with Sky’s team of commentators during the series – both hinted that it was the fatigue of bubble life as much as anything else that drove the decision.

“There is a tangible difference between these things [forfeit or cancellation], Harrison said. “This is not a Covid cancellation. This is a game called off due to serious concerns about the mental health and well-being of one of the teams. There is a difference. But it doesn’t matter. no difference as regards the buyers of tickets they will be fully reimbursed, this makes a difference in terms of the ECB’s balance sheet.

“You can’t be flippant about mental health issues, and that’s what it is about. India has been wonderful tourists, but they’ve been here for a long time. Play at this level, week after week. , is difficult. Even if we feel that we are emerging from the pandemic, life is different for the players. When the Covid creeps into an environment, it can accelerate very quickly. “

The ECB remains adamant that Covid itself was not the reason for the dropout. He points out that the entire Indian team was tested on Thursday – the day before the match – and that all the results were negative. In principle, therefore, they had about twenty players to choose from.

However, four support staff – first head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and field coach R Sridhar, and later physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar – had tested positive, while the other physiotherapist Nitin Patel had been identified as a close contact in the first batch of cases. Parmar had worked closely with the players in recent days, with Patel staying away from the squad. As a result, the Indian squad’s players have expressed nervousness about mingling, fearing the virus could be incubating within the squad.

Harrison made an effort to point out that the IPL was not a relevant factor in India’s decision-making. Players from both teams involved in the competition are now hoping to organize flights from the UK to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, with a six-day quarantine period likely required. The tournament is set to resume in the United Arab Emirates on September 19 after it was also postponed to May after a Covid outbreak in the bubble. Anyone who tests positive in the UK should self-isolate for at least 10 days.

“Let me be very clear,” Harrison said. “I don’t think the IPL has anything to do with it. It’s not a situation that was created by the reprogrammed IPL. I basically don’t believe it for a second.”

As the match is currently considered “canceled” – and not “waived” – it will be up to the ECB to reverse this decision. If he wants to do so, he will have to challenge it before the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee, which is currently chaired by Michael Beloff QC. A private gain before reaching this stage is also a possibility, although the offer of another test next year may be sufficient.

If the matter is brought before such a committee, the whole matter could become quite complicated. The ECB will likely claim that the Indian team broke protocols by attending the launch of Shastri’s book – it is called ‘patient zero’ in the English camp – and will maintain that the match was called off because the senior Indian players have it all. simply refused to participate. Details of what constitutes a breach will be important, given that Harrison said teams are no longer in biosecure bubbles.

“We have a managed standard of living which is a much better and healthier place for players in the long run,” he said. “But it does come with some risks. Let’s be clear: we never tried to sell this as a Covid-free environment, we were trying to sell it as a Covid-run environment for our Indian friends who have been in bubbles for a long time as well as the English players, that was a very important part of them being here for a three month period over this summer. “

The Indian camp is likely to argue that it has lost faith in any protocol and cite YouTube blogger Jarvo’s three land invasions as evidence of security failures. They will also mark England’s abandonment of their tour of South Africa at the end of last year. Then, while a few English players initially tested positive for the virus, they were later found to be false positives.

For spectators, meanwhile, host club Lancashire have guaranteed a refund. However, they are not able to reimburse travel or accommodation costs. Lancashire general manager Daniel Gidney described the club as “devastated” by the development.

George Dobell is Senior Correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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