Air pollution in Delhi puts Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh Cricket World Cup match at risk

The match is currently scheduled to take place on Monday 6 November

High levels of air pollution in Delhi have left the prospect of Sri Lanka’s Cricket World Cup clash against Bangladesh uncertain due to concerns over player welfare.

Severe levels of toxic fumes spread across India’s capitol forcing the two teams to cancel their training sessions on Friday afternoon following advice from their doctors.

The Sri Lankan team decided to stay indoors on Saturday though Bangladesh attempted to train in the evening, wearing masks in Feroz Shah Kotla.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how clean the air is and according to the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s guidelines on air quality an AQI reading of below 200 is considered safe for play in most cases.

On Sunday morning, the AQI stood at 457 according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the reading for Delhi has been above the 400 mark, on a scale of 500, since Thursday. It is likely to remain at severe levels until Tuesday at the earliest.

The ICC says the decision to suspend the match will be taken on the scheduled day of the game when match officials will assess the quality of the air.

People have resorted to wearing masks due to the heavy pollution in Delhi over the past week (AFP via Getty Images)

Article 2.8 of ICC’s playing conditions, says: “If at any time the umpires together agree that the conditions of ground, weather or light, or any other circumstances are dangerous or unreasonable, they shall immediately suspend play, or not allow play to start or to recommence.

“The decision as to whether conditions are so bad as to warrant such action is one for the umpires alone to make, following consultation with the ICC Match Referee.”

An air emergency was declared in Delhi last Thursday forcing the government to close schools for two days and impose restrictions on construction and vehicle traffic.

Both the teams have experienced similar conditions before with Sri Lankan players resorting to masks during a Test series back in 2017 and Bangladesh cricketers doing the same for a T20 game in 2019.