“Test was canceled for IPL”: Michael Vaughan slams BCCI as Indian cricketers start traveling to the UAE for IPL 2021

Michael Vaughan slams BCCI: The former English captain didn’t look like mincing his words regarding the cancellation of Manchester Test.

Not known for mincing words, former England captain Michael Vaughan has reiterated his opinion that the fifth Test between England and India has been cancelled for the smooth and optimum conduct of the second phase of the Indian Premier League.

Originally scheduled to commence yesterday in Manchester, the Test match had to be cancelled some 90 minutes before its start time after intense discussion between the ECB (England Cricket Board) and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) failed to find any other option amid a COVID-19 scare in the Indian camp.

While continuing with the match could’ve had dire consequences with respect to players testing positive for COVID-19, a mere four-day gap between the scheduled Day 5 of the match and the first match of IPL 2021 didn’t allow BCCI to agree to postponing the Test.

“Let’s be honest, this is all about money and the IPL. The Test has been cancelled because players were petrified of catching COVID-19 and missing the IPL.

“In a week or so we will be watching the IPL and the players will be running around smiling and happy. But they should have trusted the PCR tests. We know a lot about this virus now. We know how to manage and handle it better. Players are double vaccinated and biosecurity can be raised very quickly,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph after the cancellation.

Michael Vaughan slams BCCI as Indian cricketers start traveling to the UAE for IPL 2021

Laying emphasis on the same thought process again, Vaughan took to his Twitter handle after the Indian players have started to leave England for the UAE well before their scheduled arrangements on September 15 (a day after the Test).

Readers must note that Mumbai Indians trio of captain Rohit Sharma, batsman Suryakumar Yadav and fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni has already left England via a chartered flight. Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli and pacer Mohammed Siraj are highly likely to fly tonight.

Similarly, arrangements are being made for players of other franchises to bring them to the UAE. Players traveling for the IPL from England will undergo a six-day hard quarantine period in their respective hotels before joining the rest of the squad.

Vaughan’s tweet has received mixed response from fans. While Indian fans are defending the decision to cancel the Test, English fans are severely criticizing Indian players for prioritizing IPL over Test cricket.

It can’t be ruled out that IPL 2021 would’ve got affected by playing or postponing the Old Trafford Test. However, all that has happened is primarily a ramification of the unprecedented times we’re living in. Despite BCCI looking to reschedule the Test match in the future, one doesn’t have any other option than to feel for the spectators who had made special arrangements to watch the fifth Test at Old Trafford.