Delhi: On Wednesday, the fourth T20 International match to be played between India and South Africa at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow was canceled due to toxic smog and very poor visibility. This is the first case in cricket history when an international match had to be canceled due to poor Air Quality Index (AQI). However, this is the third time that T20I matches against South Africa have been canceled in India.

There was neither rain in Ekana Stadium nor any complaint about the field being unfit for play. Despite this, it became difficult for the players to see the ball due to dense fog and dangerous AQI of more than 400. The umpires and match officials decided to cancel the match, giving priority to the health of the players. In this way, this match became one of the matches that got canceled due to the most strange and worrying reasons. Let us now know when these incidents happened:

Rain snatches the match in Kolkata

India’s third T20 match against South Africa was to be played at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata in October 2015. After heavy rain in the afternoon, the weather cleared up in the evening, but the outfield was so wet that there was a danger of players slipping. After a long wait, the umpires considered the ground unsafe and canceled the match without the toss.

Hill weather becomes villain in Dharamshala

In September 2019, the first T20 match of South Africa’s tour of India was held in Dharamshala. The torrential rain that suddenly started in the hilly area ruined all the possibilities of the game. It was not possible to start the match due to waterlogging in the outfield. This was the second time that a T20 match in India against South Africa was canceled without a single ball being bowled.

Fog dulls the thrill of the match against South Africa in Lucknow

This match, which was canceled in Lucknow, is the third T20 International match between the two teams in India, which ended without result. The only difference was that this time the reason was not rain, but pollution and bad air, which added a new and worrying story in the history of cricket.

Only the fifth T20I match in India

For your information, let us tell you that till now a total of 5 T20 International matches in India have remained inconclusive due to bad weather. Three of these matches were being played against South Africa. Apart from this, T20 matches of India vs New Zealand (Vishakhapatnam, September 2012) and India vs Australia (Hyderabad, October 2017) also ended without any result due to rain. According to reports, not even a single ball could be bowled in these matches.