'Villain was not India but cricket’s relentless schedule': Nasser Hussain on cancelled 5th Test

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain defended Team India and said that they were not to be blamed for the cancellation of the fifth and final Test against England at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

ALSO READ:IPL 2021: Sherfane Rutherford replaces Jonny Bairstow in Sunrisers Hyderabad's squad

Several former England cricketers like Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison have openly criticised the IPL schedule being the reason behind Indian cricketers' decision to not take the field.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

However, Hussain wrote a column in Daily Mail and said that the Indian team and BCCI are not the villains here. "The people I felt most sorry for during Friday's extra-ordinary turn of events were a group in our game who habitually deserve more respect - the fans - and the villain of the piece was not India but cricket’s relentless schedule," Hussain wrote.

"On Friday afternoon, I boarded a train south full of gutted supporters. Hours earlier, some poor bloke from Edinburgh came up to me at the ground and asked me for a photograph. He faced a long journey home.

"Spectators are always the last people we think about. Slow over-rates and going off early for bad light when there are floodlights is one thing. This is quite another.

"Sure, they will get their money back but they will not get to see any action, will not be reimbursed for travel and accommodation and are missing out on what might have been a thrilling conclusion to a fabulous series," he added.

"This was a complete and utter mess. Unfortunately, though, it is where we are in the world of cricket right now due to a packed schedule and the elephant in the room that is the Indian Premier League.

"As soon as Covid got into the tourists’ camp, some of the decision-making was about that tournament, and it is worth remembering that India have always been wary about the positioning of this Test match so close to it," he said.