The poor air quality and smog post-Diwali are not only bound to impact Sunday’s (November 3) T20I between India and Bangladesh in Delhi, but also the series to be played between Afghanistan and West Indies in Lucknow.
As per a report published in Hindustan Times, the conditions impacted training sessions of both teams on Friday (November 1) as a thick haze hung over the Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium.
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Report also claims that fielders found it difficult to see the white ball clearly even in the afternoon. With the air quality index (AQI) oscillating between ‘very poor’ to severe in the last 24 hours in Lucknow, things are expected to be difficult in the days ahead.
“The average AQI of the city is expected to be in the poor to very-poor range (200-400) in November. Local factors like fires and excessive traffic movement can deplete the AQI further,” Ram Karan, regional officer of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Afghanistan had chosen Lucknow as their home ground as Dehradun does not have a five-star hotel. The series comprised of three ODIs, three T20Is and one Test will kickstart on November 6.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board, the average AQI of Lucknow at 9pm on Wednesday (October 30) reached 440, considered ‘severe’. It dropped to 360 on Thursday (October 31) morning, before rising again to 401 at 11 in the subsequent morning.
“Surely, it will have an impact on the series here as the visibility of the ball is quite bad. Floodlights will have to be switched on from the first ball when the match starts at 2pm, if the conditions remain unchanged,” said Sudhir Kumar, one of the local cricketers at the West Indies practice session on Thursday afternoon.
Commenting on the situation, Afghanistan manager Mohammad Nazeem Jaar said: “I don’t know how the poor air quality here would affect the players’ health, but so far we all are safe, fit and fine. We have no other choice but to cope with the situation.”
(Inputs from Hindustan Times)
