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Xtra Time Web Desk: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are working together to reschedule the cancelled test match between India and England at Old Trafford. However the match is unlikely to decide the series, ECB CEO Tom Harrison said on Friday.

In an interview to Sky Sports, Mr Harrison said that the rescheduled test match will be a stand-alone fixture and not form part of the current series - which India were leading 2-1 going into the final match. This will mean that India should be declared the winner of the series courtesy their 2-1 lead before the start of the fifth and final test at Old Trafford.

"I think it will be a stand-alone situation," he said, when asked if the outstanding Test would decide the series or not.

"We've been offered other options, but I think a few hours into this we probably need to take a look. The glass-half-full version of this is playing a one-off Test match against India on this ground to give fans what they've missed out on,” added Mr Harrison.

Concerns over the viability of the fixture first appeared on Thursday when India cancelled their final training session and failed to complete their mandatory press conference. It later emerged that the squad was confined to its hotel after a new positive case was returned by one of their backroom team.

Head coach Ravi Shastri had previously tested positive for the virus during the fourth Test at the Oval, where he remains in quarantine with bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar and physio Nitin Patel.

The threat appeared to recede when a fresh round of PCR testing among the remaining members of the travelling party came back negative, but after intense negotiations between the ECB and the BCCI the game was cancelled.

It is understood that a number of Indian players led by captain Virat Kohli harboured concerns over the spread of the virus and were unwilling to take the field, meaning the tourists could not put up an XI.