India-South Africa 4th T20I canceled due to dense fog and poor AQI in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Even the toss could not be done. Due to this, questions are also being raised on BCCI regarding scheduling matches in North India in winter.
India vs South Africa T20 Cancelled: The fourth T20I match to be played between India and South Africa in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, had to be canceled due to dense fog. There was so much fog in Lucknow that even the toss could not take place and after inspecting the ground several times, the match finally had to be canceled at 9.25 pm. Due to the cancellation of matches, serious questions are being raised regarding BCCI’s scheduling of matches in the peak winter months in the northern part of India.
Let us tell you that the grounds chosen by BCCI for the entire series against South Africa in November and December included Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata. Most of these cities are covered with fog and mist during winter. This is the time when pollution levels are usually at their worst in cities like Lucknow, New Chandigarh and Dharamshala. Along with this, visibility also reduces here. Let us tell you that Ranji Trophy matches in North India are also often affected by fog.
What is the AQI level in Lucknow?
On Wednesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached dangerous range above 400 at some places in Lucknow. Serious questions were raised on BCCI regarding this also. Let us tell you that all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a surgical mask to avoid pollution during the warm-up of the Indian team before the match.
Shashi Tharoor gave advice to BCCI
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told how much trouble the fans had to face. “Cricket fans were waiting in vain for the #INDVSSAODI match to start in Lucknow. But due to dense fog spread over most of the cities in North India and AQI of 411, visibility was so poor that the cricket match could not take place. They should have scheduled the match in Thiruvananthapuram, where the AQI is currently around 68.
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Matches stopped earlier also due to fog
Let us tell you that this is not the first time that a cricket match has been affected due to fog. The India vs New Zealand ODI World Cup 2023 match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala was stopped twice due to dense fog during the Indian innings. The umpires stopped the game because dense fog was making it difficult for the batsmen to see the fast bowlers’ balls. Later, after the fog cleared, the game was able to resume.