The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faced severe criticism from angry fans after the fourth T20 match to be played between India and South Africa did not start on time on Wednesday, 17 December. The match at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow was affected due to dense fog covering the stadium premises, due to which the officials had to postpone the toss indefinitely.
Giving top priority to the safety of the players, the umpires decided not to take any risk as visibility was extremely poor. At the same time, the spectators present in the stadium looked disappointed and raised questions on BCCI’s decision to organize an international match in a city in North India during the peak winter season. Many fans believed that the board should have anticipated the weather conditions that would be a regular occurrence in North India at this time.
Fans raised questions on BCCI
During the winter season, many states of North India remain in the grip of severe cold and dense fog as temperatures drop rapidly throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Included in the major cities of North India Lucknow Since the first week of December, a huge drop in temperature has been recorded, due to which visibility becomes extremely low during night and morning.
Dale Steyn expressed concern
Former South African fast bowler and current commentator Dale Steyn spoke openly on the conditions in Lucknow. He told that the visibility was very poor a day before the match. Stan said that when he came out at around 8 pm on Tuesday night, he could not see clearly even 20 meters ahead. His comments once again underlined how challenging it is to organize T20 International matches in a city like Lucknow in winter.
The time of toss was fixed at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, but the officials postponed it indefinitely considering the conditions unsuitable for the game. People of Lucknow while talking to Aaj Tak said that in the last few days the fog has become more dense and the temperature has suddenly dropped.
One person said, ‘Fog has increased significantly in Lucknow in the last few days and a sharp drop in temperature has been recorded. It is extremely cold in the city and there is dense fog on the roads at night and early morning, due to which visibility is badly affected.
Questions have been raised earlier also
This is not the first time in the year that questions have been raised regarding BCCI’s match scheduling. Earlier in 2024, the Board had scheduled a Test match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi in the month of November, on which concern was immediately raised.
It is well known that the air quality in Delhi becomes extremely poor around Diwali and pollution levels often reach dangerous limits. Fans and experts had already raised this issue, after which BCCI had to shift the India vs West Indies Test match from Delhi to Kolkata.
Questions were also raised on the organization of Dharamshala
During the same T20 series, BCCI also had to face criticism for organizing the match in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, where the night temperature drops to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. Playing in such cold proved to be extremely difficult for the players, especially those who are not used to such conditions.
Indian spinner Varun Chakraborty was among those players who faced a lot of problems in the cold. He himself admitted that he is not used to such situations. Varun had jokingly said that he took out several blankets to keep himself warm and stayed in the hotel room, which exposed the uncomfortable situation of the players.
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