BCCI faces criticism after India vs South Africa 4th T20I in Lucknow abandoned due to…

The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned on Wednesday due to poor visibility, as thick smog covered the Ekana Stadium, once again raising serious concerns over the BCCI’s decision to schedule matches.

New Delhi: The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned on Wednesday due to poor visibility, as thick smog covered the Ekana Stadium. The washout has once again put the BCCI’s scheduling under scrutiny, particularly its decision to host matches in northern India during the peak winter months.

The venues selected for the full series against the Proteas included New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata across November and December. This is also the time of year when pollution levels in cities such as Lucknow, New Chandigarh and Dharamsala are typically at their highest.

4th T20I was officially called off without a single delivery being bowled

The fourth T20I was officially called off without a single delivery being bowled because of “excessive fog”, but in reality, a dense layer of smog had covered the Ekana Stadium, drastically reducing visibility.

“The fourth India-South Africa T20I is called off due to excessive fog,” said the BCCI in its last update.

AQI in Lucknow stayed in the hazardous zone

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Lucknow stayed in the hazardous zone, crossing 400 on Wednesday, sparking serious concerns over the BCCI’s commitment to player welfare.

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a surgical mask to counter the pollution while the Indian team warmed up ahead of the game.

Fans on social media questioned the BCCI’s decision to schedule the match in Lucknow.

The match, which was suppose to start to start at 7 pm, was eventually abandoned at 9:30 pm after the sixth inspection, though it was largely a formality as it was clear to everyone that visibility would only deteriorate as the night wore on.

Players had called off their warm-up by 7:30 pm

The players had called off their warm-up by 7:30 pm and retreated to their dressing rooms. By 9 pm, the large crowd that had endured the cold conditions had also started to disperse.

BCCI vice-president and long-time Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association strongman Rajeev Shukla stepped onto the field during one of the inspections, but his body language after speaking with match officials suggested clear disappointment.

With no reserve day scheduled, both teams will now travel to Ahmedabad for the fifth and final T20I on Friday, with India holding a 2–1 lead in the series.

Fans said that the board could have explored other option

Although the BCCI follows a rotational system while allocating venues, the board could have explored the option of exchanging venues with the white-ball series against New Zealand, which is set to begin on January 11.

The ‘Men in Blue’ are set to face New Zealand for a white-ball series at venues across western and southern India — Vadodara, Rajkot, Indore, Nagpur, Raipur, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram with just one match scheduled in the northeastern city of Guwahati.

After the game, India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who is from Tamil Nadu, revealed that the revealedreconditions were especially difficult for him.

“I’ve never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging,” he said