IND vs ENG 2021: Several Team India players sign letter to BCCI at midnight about their decision to not take part in the Manchester Test - Reports

Several Team India players reportedly signed a letter addressed to BCCI at midnight conveying their decision about not wanting to take part in the Manchester Test. The 5th Test of the series was supposed to commence today but was called off just hours before play was set to begin.

At this time, several reports are coming in about the events that unfolded which lead to the cancelation of the match. According to the Telegraph, senior Indian players refused to budge even after the ECB gave them assurances about the arrangements in place to nullify the threat of COVID-19.

The Indian players were more reportedly more concerned about their IPL participation than the Test series. The IPL will commence on September 19, so if any player accidentally catches COVID-19, they will have to miss some part of the tournament.

It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds next and if any official information corroborates these reports.

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Both the boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match: BCCI's official statement

After the cancelation of the Manchester Test, the BCCI issued an official statement and apologized to fans for the situation. They assured that after deliberations with the ECB, they would reschedule the match at a later date.

The BCCI's media release read:

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have jointly decided to call off the 5th Test match scheduled at Manchester in ongoing India’s tour of England 2021. The BCCI and ECB held several rounds of discussion to find a way to play the Test Match. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Indian team contingent forced the decision of calling off the Old Trafford Test Match. In lieu of the strong relationship between BCCI and ECB, the BCCI has offered to ECB a rescheduling of the cancelled Test match."

"Both the Boards will work towards finding a window to reschedule this Test match. The BCCI has always maintained that the safety and well-being of the players is of paramount importance and there will be no compromise on that aspect. The BCCI would like to thank the ECB for their co-operation and understanding in these trying times. We would like to apologise to the fans for not being able to complete an enthralling series," the statement concluded.

Update: The BCCI and ECB held several rounds of discussion to find a way to play the match, however, the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Indian team contingent forced the decision of calling off the Old Trafford Test.Details: https://t.co/5EiVOPPOBB

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 10, 2021

Indian cricket fans will now have to wait till September 19 to see their favorite players back in action in the field. MI vs CSK will kick off the second phase of IPL 2021.