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Cricket PlayersBCCI shifts knockout stage of key tournament from Delhi to Mumbai due to ‘high air pollution’: ‘Cricket can’t be…'
The BCCI has relocated one tournament from Delhi to Mumbai due to the increasing air pollution in the national capital.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken stock of the rising air pollution levels in the national capital, Delhi, and as a result, the knockout stages of the annual men’s Under-23 ODI tournament have been shifted from Delhi to Mumbai. According to The Indian Express, the Indian cricket board has orally requested the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to be prepared to host matches from November 25 to December 1.
The air pollution in Delhi has shown no signs of improvement, and on Thursday, the quality reached the “severe” category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 400, according to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
According to the forecast for the next few days, the air quality is expected to deteriorate further, remaining in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Air Quality Early Warning System.
“We got a call from the BCCI today, informing us that the MCA has been allotted the under-23 one-day knockouts due to high air pollution in the capital. Cricket can’t be played in those conditions,” the Indian Express quoted a MCA source as saying.
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The last league-stage match of the tournament will be played in Vadodara on Friday, November 21. Eight teams will participate in the knockout stage, and the schedule for the upcoming matches will be announced in the coming days.
It is worth mentioning that the BCCI had earlier moved the first Test against South Africa from Delhi to Kolkata after criticism for staging a game in the national capital during the peak pollution season. The reallotment saw the second Test between India and the West Indies being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi in October.
'The infamous 2017 Test
In 2017, India played a Test against Sri Lanka in the first week of December. The AQI increased from 316 to 390 during the test, forcing some Sri Lankan players to wear masks on the field.
On Day 2 of the Test, Lanka pacer Lahiru Gamage, in the middle of an over, struggled to continue due to respiratory problems, forcing a 17-minute stoppage.
Suranga Lakmal also rushed indoors, complaining of nausea and throwing up. At one point in the Test, Sri Lanka had just 10 fit players on the field and oxygen cylinders were being rushed to their dressing room.
