IND vs SA 4th T20I comes to a shameful end as smog & pollution win in Lucknow

The toss was scheduled to happen at 6:30 PM IST but was delayed twice due to 'excessive fog'.

Common man or superstar cricketer, everyone is getting affected by the biggest problem in North India: pollution. The weather’s turned so extreme that one couldn’t see the other end of the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Lucknow T20I abandoned due to smog

The delay game in the India vs South Africa 4th T20I started at 6:30 PM IST and finally ended 3 hours later, with the match getting abandoned. There weren’t one or two delays, but five inspections by umpires before the game was finally called off.

The umpires talked with India head coach Gautam Gambhir, South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad, and BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla during this 3-hour period, but nothing came of it. Visibility was the major issue, as umpires realised outfielders won’t find it easy in such conditions.

Dangerous conditions at Ekana

“Toss in Lucknow has been delayed due to excessive fog,” BCCI had written initially. But the truth of the matter was that it wasn’t fog but smog. The entire Northern Indian region is getting choked. Pollution’s so rampant that in Delhi, children below the age of 11 have been asked to attend school online. Health experts have cautioned individuals to avoid any physical activities outdoors.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lucknow on December 17 was over 400 during the toss time. To those unaware, an AQI over 150 is considered ‘unhealthy’, and over 300 is ‘hazardous’. Safe to say that hosting a match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium wasn’t exactly safe for cricketers.

Hardik Pandya was spotted wearing a mask during the pre-match training drills. While other cricketers weren’t wearing any protective breathing gear, several spectators were also donning masks.