ODI World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh cancel training due to Delhi pollution

A day after Bangladesh cancelled their training session, Sri Lanka had to do away with their own in Delhi owing to the poor air quality in the capital city of India. The two teams are set to meet on November 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in what will be the final encounter at the venue in this year’s event.

The air quality in the city, especially in winter, has become a perennial issue with multiple factors, including the smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states, contributing to it. On November 2, the government declared an air emergency as the Air Quality Index (AQI) breached 400 – rated “very poor category” – in different parts, leading to a two-day shutdown of schools and halting of non-essential construction activities to curb the concerningly poor situation.

As per the Indian government agency's Air Quality Tracking Warning system, the air quality is “likely to improve marginally but remain in severe category from 04.11.2023 to 06.11.2023.” It is understood that the match will be played only if the conditions are suitable enough for the players to take the field, with the match officials taking that call on the day of the contest.

ICC and BCCI take the well-being of all participants seriously: ICC spokeperson

"The ICC and our hosts the BCCI take the well-being of all participants seriously and are monitoring the air quality in Delhi. We are taking expert advice to assess the situation,” an ICC spokesperson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

For Sri Lanka, this will not be the first instance of grappling with hazardous air conditions at the venue, having met with a similar challenge during the 2017 Delhi Test. Back then, multiple players had to leave the field to vomit while a few fielded wearing masks to prevent themselves from potential respiratory issues. 

Things have become worse in the following years, with Delhi residents becoming used to waking up to hazy mornings with smog and pollutants leading to all varieties of respiratory issues. It was due to this reason Bangladesh were forced to cancel their Friday training after arriving in the city on Wednesday (November 1).

"Due to worsening conditions, we didn't take the chance," Bangladesh's team director Khaled Mahmud had said. "We have two more training days. Some of us developed coughing, so there's a risk factor. We don't want to get sick. We don't know if things will improve, but we have training tomorrow. We want all the players to be fit for the important game coming up on November 6."

Recently, Indian captain Rohit Sharma also expressed his concern, suggesting that it is imperative to ensure the future Indian generations lead their lives “without any fear”. His remarks came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a no-fireworks announcement for matches in Delhi and Mumbai.

"In an ideal world, you do not want a situation like this, but I am pretty sure that the concerned people are taking the necessary steps to avoid this kind of situation. It is not ideal, and everyone knows that,” Rohit had said on the eve of India's encounter against Sri Lanka. "Looking at our future generations, your kids, my kid. Obviously, it is important that they get to live without any fear. Every time I get to speak outside of cricket, or not discuss cricket, I always talk about this. We have to look after our future generations."