Fans demanded refund after the fourth T20I between India and South Africa was cancelled due to low visibility and excessive fog at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday. The cancellation of the match thus raised questions on BCCI's scheduling of matches in the northern part of the country during peak winters.
Originally scheduled for a 7 PM start, six inspections were carried out by the umpires before it was called off at 9:25 PM without the toss being held. Such was the air quality, the players called off their warm-up session by 7:30 PM and returned to their respective dressing rooms.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was caught on camera using a mask. BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, who was a present at the stadium, also walked out to have a word with the umpires, but his body language also indicated disappointment. Ahmedabad will host the final T20I on Friday.
Following the cancellation of the game, fans demanded refund of the match tickets. “I sold three sacks of wheat and came here to watch the match. I want my money back,” said one of the fan.
“Tickets and reimbursement are irrelevant. We wanted to see the match, see our Indian Cricket Team. I am heartbroken. Had the BCCI scheduled the match during the day, at least we would watched the game,” another fans said.
With the temperatures as down as 14 degrees, the reality of the situation was a thick blanket of smog that enveloped the stadium, hampering visibility severely. The northern states of India experience worst pollution levels at this time of the year. In fact, the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the hazardous range, above 400 in Lucknow on Wednesday, raising serious questions about the BCCI's commitment to players' welfare.
Shashi Tharoor voices concern
Indian politician Shashi Tharoor too voiced his concern for the disappointed fans who came to watch the India vs South Africa 4th T20I. Tharoor even suggested that Thiruvananthapuram could have hosted tha match where the AQI level is below 100.
“Cricket fans have been waiting in vain for the #INDVSSAODI to start in Lucknow. But thanks to dense smog, pervasive in most north Indian cities, and an AQI of 411, visibility is too poor to permit a game of cricket. They should’ve scheduled the game in Thiruvananthapuram, where AQI is about 68 right now!” Tharoor wrote on X.
