The fourth T20I between India and South Africa in Lucknow was abandoned on Wednesday without a single ball being bowled after extremely poor visibility caused by a thick blanket of smog engulfed the Ekana Stadium. The washout has once again triggered debate over the BCCI’s decision to schedule international matches in north Indian cities during the peak winter months. Although the official reason cited was “excessive fog”, conditions inside the stadium told a different story, with smog severely restricting visibility. Air quality levels in Lucknow remained in the hazardous category throughout the day, with the AQI crossing 400, raising fresh concerns over player safety and welfare.
The match was scheduled to begin at 7 pm, but repeated inspections made it increasingly clear that conditions were unlikely to improve as the night progressed. Players eventually abandoned their warm-up by 7:30 pm and returned to their dressing rooms, while spectators who had turned up despite the cold slowly began leaving the stadium. After a sixth inspection, the game was officially called off at 9:30 pm. Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a surgical mask during the warm-up, underlining the severity of the pollution. BCCI vice-president and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association strongman Rajeev Shukla also walked out for one of the inspections, though his visible disappointment after speaking with officials reflected the inevitability of the outcome. The abandoned fixture has put the spotlight on the venues chosen for the India-South Africa series, which was spread across cities such as New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ranchi, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Kolkata during November and December. This is traditionally the time when pollution levels in cities like Lucknow, New Chandigarh and Dharamsala are at their worst. With no reserve day scheduled, both teams will now head to Ahmedabad for the fifth and final T20I on Friday, with India currently leading the series 2–1. While the BCCI follows a rotational policy when allocating venues, the situation has revived questions about planning. The board could have explored swapping venues with the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand, which begins on January 11 and will be played largely across western and southern India, including Vadodara, Rajkot, Indore, Nagpur, Raipur, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram, with Guwahati the only north-eastern stop. Weather-related disruptions have frequently impacted matches at north zone venues during winter. Just last week, the third T20I in Dharamsala was played in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. After that game, India spinner Varun Chakravarthy admitted the conditions were difficult to cope with. “I’ve never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging,” he had said. On that day, the AQI in Dharamsala was rated ‘poor’, while New Chandigarh experienced ‘severe’ air quality during the second T20I. The repeated issues have led to questions about whether the BCCI’s operations team adequately factored in historical weather and pollution data, or considered alternative options such as afternoon start times that could have at least ensured play for fans in attendance.
