WTC final: Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah denied permission to attend one-off Test in England

The England Cricket Board (ECB) has refused to grant permission to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and General-Secretary Jay Shah to attend the one-off Test match between India and New Zealand, starting June 18. According to news agency PTI, the BCCI had requested ECB to allow its office bearers to attend the WTC final in England but has been denied permission due to strict quarantine rules in the country. The report suggests that Ganguly and Shah, who were initially slated to visit England for the marquee ICC event, will not be travelling to Southampton as of now. 

"As far as I know, the ECB didn't grant permission to them (Ganguly and Shah). Normally, administrators go before the Test match but as per quarantine rules, since they are not playing members, they would have had to undergo hard quarantine of 10 days. The team rules wouldn't have been applicable as far as president and secretary is concerned," PTI quoted the BCCI source as saying. 

Players' family members granted permission

The source further confirmed that the Indian men and women squad members have been allowed to travel with their family members during their tour of England. Earlier, the BCCI had requested the British government to allow players to have family members accompany them on the trip. The BCCI source said that the British government has allowed players to be accompanied by their family members keeping in mind the four-month-long duration of the tour. 

Both the men and the women's national team members are slated to travel together in the same charter flight arranged by the BCCI. The Indian players are expected to arrive in the United Kingdom on June 3, following which they will undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine before they could resume training. The ICC has said that regular RTPCR tests will be conducted and initially the players will only be allowed to practice in smaller groups. 

The one-off Test match between India and New Zealand will begin on June 18 and is expected to last until June 22, excluding the reserve day kept to ensure the full five days of playing. The men's team will then play a five-match Test series against England between August and September. Meanwhile, the Indian women's team will lock horns against England in a one-off Test in June and then will play three ODI matches and as many T20Is. 

(Image Credit: PTI)