NEW DELHI: With Sri Lanka cancelling their practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Saturday due to air pollution, just a day after Bangladesh cancelled its practice session on Friday evening due to the same reason, a spokesperson from the International Cricket Council (ICC) said the situation for the league match between the two teams on Monday is being currently assessed.
New Delhi has been under heavy smog for the last five days, caused by an unprecedented spike in the Air Quality Level (AQI) of the national capital. The city’s AQI went from 351 on Thursday morning to 471 on Friday morning, hitting the severe category.
It forced the schools to be closed for two days and non-essential construction work being banned, along with restrictions on vehicular movement. On Saturday morning, the AQI level was recorded at 413, with the overall air quality still at severe level. The city is scheduled to host its last ODI World Cup game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Monday.
“The ICC and our hosts the BCCI take the wellbeing of all participants seriously and are monitoring the air quality in Delhi. We are taking expert advice to assess the situation,” said the ICC spokesperson to IANS.
IANS also understands that air quality is assessed in the same way as other weather conditions by the match officials to decide whether it is fine enough to play the game or not on the match day.
Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, were scheduled to practice at the Arun Jaitley Stadium from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday in preparation for their Men’s ODI World Cup clash against Bangladesh on Monday. But with smoky haze, AQI levels going past 400-mark and air quality deteriorating, they chose to cancel their practice session. IANS
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