Manchester Test called off: Any rescheduled match would be a standalone match, says ECB Chief

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison says rescheduling a one-off Test match between England and India at Old Trafford would be 'the only good news to come from Manchester Test cancellation.

After the cancellation of the Manchester Test, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison has said that a rescheduled match would be a standalone Test rather than a continuation of this series. "It's been a long night. It's just really sad," Harrison told the BBC. "You can't be flippant about issues of mental health, and this is what this is about. India have been wonderful tourists, but they have been here for a long time. "Playing at this level, week after week, is difficult. Even if we feel we are emerging from the pandemic, life is different for the players. When Covid creeps into an environment, it can accelerate very quickly. Hopefully we can get this Test on some other time, but it won't be the same as it having the conclusion after four brilliant matches." When asked about the result of the series, Harrison said: "That's not one for today. Today is all about making sure we have fronted this in terms of what has happened, why it has happened, what the situation is with respect to the immediate turn. Thoughts will turn to that soon. That is not a decision for us, it's a decision for ICC to think about in the context of the World Test Championship. "Nobody is trying to score points here. It's about making the right decisions given the context of what's taking place and being fair to each side. That is all we are asking for and that process will take place over the coming weeks. It is not something that concerns us unduly. We just expect the people that are in place to make those decisions" The standalone Test match between the two teams could potentially happen when India returns for six white-ball games next summer. Manchester Test was called off barely two hours before its scheduled start on Friday after the tourists failed to field a side following a Covid-19 case in their camp.