‘I hope I will play another international game at my home ground’: Anderson 'gutted' about the cancelled Manchester Test

The cancellation of the fifth and final Test between India and England, which was slated to take place at Old Trafford in Manchester, has left the fans, the players, and the rest of the cricketing fraternity gutted. England pacer James Anderson feels no different. 

With the series locked 2-1 in India's favour, the Manchester Test promised to be a fitting finale to what was a remarkable series. The final match, however, was cancelled when a physio in the Indian camp tested positive ahead of the game, making the visiting players apprehensive, though all of them tested negative.

The 39-year-old Anderson also wondered whether he would get to play another Test match for England at his home ground.

"I'm gutted for everyone at Lancashire cricket, for the fans who paid for tickets/trains/hotels, for both sets of supporters that wanted to see the finish this series deserved," Anderson wrote on his Instagram page.

"I hope it will be played again at some point and I hope I will get to play another international game at my home ground that I love so much," he mentioned further.

Indian cricketers led by skipper Virat Kohli refused to play as they were apprehensive about testing positive in the incubation period which would have coincided with the Test match dates between September 12-16.

After the first Test ending in a draw, India won the second Test by 151 runs at Lord's to take a 1-0 lead. Joe Root-led England roared back at Headingley, downing the Indian side by an innings and 76 runs to draw level. India, then, bounced back once again as they romped home to a 157-run triumph to take an unassailable lead. 

The fate of the final Test is yet to be sealed. Whether the Test will be played this year or next is a question that only the concerned board, ECB and BCCI, can answer.

Anderson has taken 632 wickets from 166 Tests with 15 wickets from the four Tests against India.