'Players have never been more powerful than now' - Michael Atherton gives three reasons why the Manchester Test got cancelled

England Cricket Board (ECB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mutually agreed to cancel the Manchester Test between England and India after the Indian camp raises COVID concerns within the camp. This official announcement led to a huge disappointment among fans and onlookers, who had waited for the one last nail-biting contest between England and India.

While some of the experts of the game felt it was due to the start of the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE. Others felt the Test match got cancelled due to India fearing they won’t possibly field their best XI due to their junior physio contracting COVID-19 just before the start of the Manchester Test.

Jumping into the bandwagon, former England player Michael Atherton has shed light on the subject and feels COVID-19 and IPL are alone are not the factors but also the third angle of player power is also one of the reasons why the Manchester Test was called off.

“Covid-19, player power, and the Indian Premier League combined to scupper the fifth Test in Manchester yesterday, to the consternation of the Lancashire club and the 85,000 or so supporters who had bought tickets to attend the first four days. There was a profound sense of shock and disappointment over the cancellation of the match, especially at the end of a compelling series that stood at 2-1 to India with everything to play for,” Atherton wrote in his column for The Times.

Atherton further opined that relaxation of COVID-19 norms in England and spending a considerable amount of time in the bio-bubble also played a role.

“That there has been so little international cricket lost to Covid is, amid the anger and sadness, a surprise too. Authorities recognised that they could not ask players to operate in last summer’s strict bio-secure bubbles, as society was opening up again. Inevitably this relaxation increased the risk of a Covid outbreak. County games have been affected this summer, as was the ODI series against Pakistan, which required a whole new England squad, and now a Test match has gone, although space will probably be found in the calendar at some point to mitigate the loss of broadcast income.”

Once the players had spoken, there was little the administrators could do about it: Michael Atherton

The former England batter also felt that after India players were unwilling to play the Test since Thursday evening which subsequently led to a discussion between ECB and BCCI.

“After the India players’ stated reluctance on Thursday evening, officials from the ECB and BCCI were locked in discussions throughout the night to try to navigate a way through the situation, with the ECB providing whatever assurances it could around the safety and well-being of the players. No solution was forthcoming, which reflects on where the balance of power lies in the modern game. Once the players had spoken, there was little the administrators could do about it. Players have never been more powerful than now.”