IND vs SA 4t T20I: The fourth match of the five-match T20 series being played between India and South Africa was to be played at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, but due to dense fog and poor visibility, the decision had to be canceled. After a long wait and several inspections, the umpires decided to cancel the match, giving priority to the safety of the players.

International match canceled for the first time due to fog

The weather in Lucknow has been extremely cold for the last several days. Along with fog, the effect of increasing pollution was also clearly visible on the field, due to which visibility continued to deteriorate. Earlier in international cricket, matches have been canceled due to rain, bad light or technical reasons, but this is the first time when a match had to be canceled due to dense fog.

Umpires inspected the field six times

The fourth T20 match was to start at 7 pm Indian time, while the toss was scheduled at 6:30 pm. However, due to dense fog, the umpires postponed the toss and conducted the first inspection at 6:50 pm. When the situation was found not to be normal, the second inspection was done at 7:30 pm.

After this, the condition of the field was reviewed for the third time at 8 pm, but the fog kept getting denser. The umpires, keeping the hope alive, took the fourth and fifth inspections at 8:30 and then again at 9.00. Finally at 9:25, when there was no improvement in visibility even after watching the conditions for the sixth time, the umpires took the final decision to cancel the match.

Air quality is very bad in Lucknow

Along with dense fog, the air quality of Lucknow is also in a very worrying condition. The AQI of the city was recorded beyond 400, which is considered extremely dangerous from health point of view. The effect of bad air was clearly visible on the players also.

On the field, many players including Team India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya were seen practicing and warming up wearing masks. Players of both the teams faced difficulty in breathing, due to which the decision to cancel the match became even more necessary.

Now the last match will be played in Ahmedabad

After the cancellation of the fourth T20, now the fifth and last match of the series between India and South Africa will be played on December 19 at Ahmedabad ground. Now the eyes of both the teams will be fixed on this match, where the result of the series will be finalized.