‘SISSIES’ HIDE THEIR FACES IN THE SMOG
In an unprecedented turn of events, the embattled Sri Lankan cricket team on Sunday held up play during the third Test against India, complaining of poor air quality that constrained the hosts to declare their innings.
The first-ever incident of this kind in the sport's 140year-old history saw an international team don antipollution masks and then refuse to take field, stopping play for 26 minutes over three interruptions.
Record-breaking India skipper Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for 243 after the action resumed, was forced to declare at 536 for seven as some of the visiting team's substitute fielders too refused to play.
The Lankan move irked the BCCI and Team India's support staff stopped short of calling it a deliberate tactic, though the Central Pollution Control Board's rating of the capital's air quality was indeed "very poor".
BCCI acting president CK Khanna said, "If 20,000 people in the stands did not have a problem and the Indian team did not face any issue, I wonder why Sri Lankan team made such a big fuss. I need to talk to the secretary and ask him to write to the Sri Lanka Cricket."
Asked about Sri Lanka's protest, India's bowling coach Bharat Arun said, "Virat batted close to two days and he didn't need a mask! We are focussed on what we need to do. The conditions are the same for both teams, we were not too bothered about it."
As the day drew to a close, a question mark hung over the fate of the third day's play at the Feorz Shah Kotla,
and both the cricket boards are expected to sit across the table to sort out the issue. The ICC may not get involved as bilateral series is prerogative of the two boards.
Once an angry-looking Kohli signalled declaration, the Lankan players were booed by the crowd who chanted 'losers losers', as the visitors retreated to the dressing room. Interestingly when the Indian team took the field, none of the players wore anti-pollution masks. Sri Lanka's interim coach cited health issues, saying that match referee found Suranga Lakmal and Dhananjaya De Silva vomiting inside the dressing room. The coach said that whether they will play on Monday will be decided by the match officials. Earlier in the day, the CPCB, the body that measures air pollution, stated: "Exposure to such air for a prolonged period can trigger respiratory illness. The most dominant pollutants are PM2.5 and PM10. These are ultrafine particulates, which can measure up to 30 times finer than the width of a human hair.’’
Sri Lankan players halted the proceedings thrice – first between 12:32 to 12:49 for 17 minutes - after which they were persuaded to resume playing. Smog is a very common phenomenon in Delhi as farmers in the adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana burn crops during the end of October and November. But there is no stubble burning at this time of the year.