Cricket Indian players refused to play fifth test against England, says BCCI chief

September 13 (Reuters) – Indian cricket government chief Sourav Ganguly said their players refused to play the fifth and final test against England due to COVID-19 concerns and denied that the upcoming Indian Premier League had influenced the decision.

The Old Trafford test was canceled last Friday barely two hours before its scheduled start, when tourists leading the 2-1 series failed to reveal half after the physiotherapist’s test result was COVID-19.

“The players refused to play, but you can’t blame them,” Ganguly told The Telegraph in India on Monday.

“Physio Yogesh Parmar was such a close contact with the players … he mixed freely with the players and even passed their COVID-19 test.

“He also gave them massages, he was a part of their daily lives.

“The players were shocked to learn that his Covid-19 test was positive. They feared they had contracted the disease and were scared.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that Indian players were “petrified” to test positive results before the IPL, which continues on September 19 in the UAE.

But Executive Director of the Cricket Board of England and Wales Tom Harrison has said the cancellation had nothing to do with the IPL, and Ganguly repeated those comments.

“BCCI is never an Irresponsible board. We also appreciate other boards,” he said, adding that the match is likely to be considered a one-off match next year.

(Report by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; edited by Peter Rutherford)

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