England vs India, India tour of England, 5th Test Match Details, Schedule, Summary | ESPNcricinfo.com

8.58am The ECB has confirmed that the “forfeiture” line in their statement was amended after publication, adding that they are “working through details with BCCI right now, so bit of a live situation”. For full coverage of this unfolding drama, follow the action on our live blog

8.45am So that’s it then. The Old Trafford Test has been cancelled without a ball being bowled.

A statement has just landed from the ECB: “Following ongoing conversations with the BCCI, the ECB can confirm that the fifth Test between England and India Men due to start today at Emirates Old Trafford, will be cancelled.

Due to fears of a further increase in the number of COVID cases inside the camp, India are regrettably unable to field a team.

We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many.

Further information will be shared in due course.”

The initial wording of the statement from the ECB, as per their website, stated that India would be “forfeiting” the match, meaning the series would finish 2-2. That word is missing now, so we await clarification of what this means for the series.

8.07am Good morning and welcome to what should be the first morning of the fifth Test between England and India at Emirates Old Trafford. Unfortunately, we’ve just got word that there will be no play today.

ESPNcricinfo understands that a number of India players have expressed reservations about taking the field in the wake of India’s assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar testing positive for Covid-19. Although the entire squad returned negative RT-PCR tests on Thursday, they will now undergo a further round, with the hope that the match may be able to start over the weekend.