Harmison is of the belief that the decision was motivated by the visitors wanting to get back for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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The cancellation of the fifth and final Test match of the series between England and India has resulted in a sense of disappointment in fans of the sport across both countries. The reason for the cancellation was a coronavirus outbreak in the Indian camp. Former England bowler Steve Harmison has revealed his opinion regarding the situation on Friday. Sadly, and predictably, it is not an optimistic one. Harmison is of the belief that the decision was motivated by the tourists wanting to get back for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Severe doubts had emerged regarding the future of the Manchester Test after Indian physio Yogesh Parmar tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday evening. It was reported that the physio had held a number of recovery sessions with the players before being aware of his test results. Four other members of the contingent, including head coach Ravi Shastri, had also tested positive earlier. It was a decision that sparked a lot of anger as a number of fans expressed their frustrations on social media.
Former player Harmison did not hold back during a show on Talksport. “It’s rubbish, it really is,” the former pacer said. “My initial thoughts are that this is the beginning of the end for Test cricket. When you’re choosing to go down this road, that’s it done,” he added.
Harmison admitted that England had done a similar thing during a series against South Africa earlier. “Let’s be fair before we start throwing stones, England did it to South Africa. Let’s get that straight from the very start. We’re not the totally innocent party in this because we came home when we didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “But this is all about the IPL. End of. As much as I’d want to sugarcoat it, I don’t think I can. The IPL starts in five days, and a month before the tour started India asked if they could move the last Test match forward or clear four days so they can fit the IPL in. All of a sudden this happens. It doesn’t sit well with me and I feel so sorry for the people of Manchester,” he added.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) initially said that India will ‘forfeit the match’, although that wording was removed in an updated version of their statement, suggesting negotiations between the respective boards remain ongoing. Currently, things are still pretty grey about the outcome of the fifth Test.
