Test match cancelled by the sounds of it, the Covid in the India camp has given the England team the fear.

Test match cancelled by the sounds of it, the Covid in the India camp has given the England team the fear.

I understand Indian players have refused to play – scared of getting covid and missing out on their lucrative IPL contracts. India have forfeited the test so the series is a draw. Unsatisfactory.

Hmmm

Ah well there go my plans of sitting outside the pub listening to tms this afternoon

May not be forfeited, press release has been reissued and has had that sentence deleted – big argument ongoing apparently.

India have forfeited the test so the series is a draw. Unsatisfactory.

Seems like this is still being debated, could be ‘abandoned’ rather than ‘forfeited’ which would mean India win 2-1. Even though India deserve to be ahead it doesn’t seem right if you can pull out of a test with the result of winning the series.

Edit: just saw mefty’s post saying same

Once the IPL had been rescheduled , BCCI never wanted the 5th Test and tried to pressure ECB to cancel. No reason to doubt veracity of covid concerns but it's also very convenient .

— mike selvey (@selvecricket) September 10, 2021

It definitely should be a forfeit. England are ready to play, India has stuffed up its covid protocols and isn’t.

I can quite imagine the ECB are thoroughly pissed off, any covid insurances they have in place to recover costs must require teams to have positive test results?

England today

(Of course I joke, they’ll be extremely pissed off)

Wonder what ‘test cricket is the pinnacle’ Kohli will have to say about this (if he didn’t care about upsetting the BCCI). Can’t imagine he will be too happy about losing the chance for a proper away series win as captain.

Bugger. I had two quiet days at work coming up where TMS was going to keep me company. I actually work better with the team chatting away so my productivity is going to drop now. Ah well, time to put the kettle on!

There seems to be talk now that it’s just being postponed indefinitely rather than cancelled.

I wish they’d shut up about test cricket being the pinnacle of the game. It might be for me, but it quite clearly isn’t for the players or the people in charge and saying it is just annoys people. Well it annoys me anyway 🙂

The only reason this match isn’t going ahead is because players don’t want to risk catching Covid and missing out on the IPL. Basically the IPL is more important than determining the result of a major test series and to hell with those fans who are still daft enough to care about test cricket.

To be fair the ECB have also prioritised white ball cricket over the test format for so long that I’m not sure they even know they are doing it anymore.

A real anti-climax to what has been a great advert for test match cricket. Unfortunately it shows that its no longer the revered form of game it once was. T20 is now king.

How long until a test playing nation gives it up entirely. Can seriously see Sri Lanka or Windies going down that road at some point this decade.

T20 Finals day, hopefully Kent win with Stevo taking a leading role.

Thought this might be of interesting to some on here, Greg James’ podcast on Allen Stanford. Im up to episode 2 and it’s fascinating.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09k7ctp

Thanks for the reminder lunge

Shame about Mo retiring from test cricket, always hoped his best was yet to come

Mo is a real shame, never really settled in Test cricket and always felt like a stop gap even though he played some brilliant innings and took key wickets.

Like many others, you can’t help but think if we’d have stuck with him at 6 or 7 he’s have been a brilliant player.

Are we not doing the T20 world cup?

Scotland winning all 3 games to get to the super 12 stage for the first time.

India getting thumped by 10 wickets by Pakistan.

And this morning – Stokes is going to the Ashes! So pleased he is mentally in a place to play again and his finger seems sorted.

Stokes is going to the Ashes!

Back in at the deep end! Me and OH are both enjoying the T20 world cup on the radio too.

Hope he can cope with the pressure and no doubt sledging…
Scotland Afghanistan this afternoon!

LOL

Australia have to go after the part time bowling of Livingstone & If they get out so be it. Can’t just knock him around ! Come on Australia – lift !!!!!!!!!

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) October 30, 2021

So Wade did and was caught on the boundary

51-5 in 12

nervous while Finch is there, he can still go big.

Livingstone 1-15…..good call Warney

not wanting to put the mockers on us but it’s looking pretty good so far. 😉

I am very much enjoying this.

Buttler hits a 102 m six

bunch of bullies 😀

Wow!!

drubbing!

Can we field our T20 team in the Ashes test matches, think the cricket boot will be firmly on the other foot for those games

These one sided games are so dull

Well England have had worse days…

Has that 6 landed yet? 😂😂😂

Buttler was absolutely ridiculous today. 😳

More brutality from Jos today… 101 not out with a six of the last ball

He really is having some good days out at the moment. The only English batter to score centuries in tests, ODI’s and T20’s

The only male English batter. Heather Knight did it too and tweeted something along the lines of “welcome to the club” I think 🙂

^ this

The pessimist in me says that he can’t keep doing it, and his luck will run out.

The optimist says that Roy, Bairstow, Morgan, Livingstone, Mo……. can all produce similar and have yet to do so.

The optimist says that Roy, Bairstow, Morgan, Livingstone, Mo……. can all produce similar and have yet to do so.

To be fair to them, they’ve not had much opportunity to when Butter is in this form. England bat deep but we’d not know as only the top 4 have really had a look in.

More importantly, Morgan scored 40 n/o. Plus the tournament is wide open with India in trouble……

I’d like to see Livingstone get going, he was very destructive in the hundred.

I’d like to see Livingstone get going, he was very destructive in the hundred.