ICC World Cup: Sri Lanka cancels training session in Delhi as air quality worsens to dangerous levels
ICC World Cup 2023: As the air quality levels worsened in the Delhi-NCR region, the Sri Lankan cricket team on Saturday decided to cancel their training session in the national capital. Sri Lanka is the second team to cancel their training session citing poor air quality as earlier Bangladesh cricket team took the same decision on Friday. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are preparing for their World Cup clash on Monday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in Delhi.
The development comes as the air quality in Delhi has worsened to dangerous levels with the air quality index (AQI) reaching 413 on Saturday. The national capital has been engulfed in a stifling smog, leading to a swift decline in air quality and visibility due to the thick fog. The poor air quality of Delhi and Mumbai is impacting the ICC World Cup 2023 as earlier Team India skipper Rohit Sharma also expressed his concerns about the same.
"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," Sharma was quoted as saying on the eve of the match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Owing to the poor air quality, the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to ban firecrackers during the remaining World Cup matches in Delhi and Mumbai.
“BCCI is sensitive to environmental concerns. I took up the matter formally with the ICC and there won’t be any fireworks display in Mumbai, which can add to the pollution level," said BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a statement on Wednesday. "The BCCI acknowledges the urgent concern surrounding air quality in both Mumbai and New Delhi.
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