Lucknow, 17 December. The proposed fourth T20 International match between India and South Africa here on Wednesday had to be canceled due to dense fog. Visibility at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium became so bad amidst the layer of dense fog that even the toss could not take place and the match was canceled after a wait of about two and a half hours.
Questions started being raised on BCCI’s program
After the cancellation of the match, serious questions have started being raised on the plan of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hold matches in Northern India during the winter months. New Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata were selected as the venues for the entire series against South Africa during November and December. This is the time when pollution levels are usually at their worst in host cities like Lucknow, New Chandigarh and Dharamshala.
AQI in Lucknow also remained at dangerous level above 400.
At the same time, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lucknow also remained at a dangerous level above 400 on Wednesday, due to which serious questions are being raised on the commitment of BCCI towards the welfare of the players. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a surgical mask to avoid pollution during the Indian team’s warm-up before the match.
The match was canceled at 9.30 pm after the sixth inspection of the ground.
The match, which was scheduled to start at 7 pm, was finally abandoned at 9:30 pm after the sixth inspection. However, this was nothing more than a formality as everyone present there knew that visibility would worsen as the night progressed. The players had finished their warm-up session by 7.30 pm and returned to the dressing room. Facing the cold, the crowd of spectators also started decreasing by 9 pm.
The fifth and final match is to be played in Ahmedabad on 19 December.
Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of BCCI and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, came to the ground during the inspection but after talking to the match officials, disappointment was clearly visible in his expression. With no reserve day, both the teams will now travel to Ahmedabad for the final T20 International to be held on Friday, December 19. India is leading 2-1 in the series. That means India will have to win to win the series at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Comments are closed.