Bad air forces BCCI to shift U-23 games out of Delhi

THe room of verify for Cricket in bharat (BCCI) has resettled the ko rounds of the Under-23 men’s cricket Trophy Elite division from Delhi to Mumbai, owing to the national capital’s consistently poor air, according to official correspondence between the national body and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), in what is the first instance of pollution levels disrupting India’s domestic calendar.The Mumbai cricket body has been asked to keep its grounds ready for the knockout matches, to be played between November 25 and December 1.“Matches are likely to be allotted to Bandra-Kurla Complex’s Sharad Pawar Academy ground and the Wankhede stadium and preparations are in place for teams to train December 23 onwards,” said an MCA official aware of the matter, who asked not to be named.With Mumbai slated to stage Cooch Behar Trophy matches starting December 1, there is a high possibility those matches will also have to be rescheduled as well.According to BCCI officials, the matches were allotted to Delhi with the hope the air would clear up and allow for play to continue. In the past, matches have been disrupted by fog, but between December and January.In 2017, play during a Test match between India and Sri Lanka was stopped due to the smog, as bowlers struggled to breathe. Sri Lanka said the conditions in the Capital left players vomiting, and some of them took to the field wearing face masks. It was the first recorded instance of an international match being halted due to bad air.However, Delhi’s air has been hazardous for weeks now. The AQI was 360 at 9pm on Friday. Delhi has so far this month recorded 16 days of “very poor” air, three days of “severe” air and two days of “poor” air.On Friday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) ordered schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) to suspend outdoor activities and sports.Earlier, the first game of the two-match India-South Africa Test series, originally scheduled to be played between November 14-28 in New Delhi was allotted to Kolkata.With the weather forecast for December not getting any better, the women’s U-23 T20 Trophy Elite division matches scheduled between December 5-11 may also have to be relocated. Indian cricket officials are known to be working on identifying alternate locations.On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that the issue of pollution in Delhi cannot just be taken up when pollution reaches alarming levels as it needs constant monitoring throughout the year.The bench had said, “On implementation of measures (to curb pollution), it will be appropriate that this court, rather than rushing into the matter when pollution is at its peak, take up the case throughout the year on a monthly basis where the status reports of ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) and CAQM can be taken up.”That, however, will take time — one thing BCCI and the U-23 knockouts have run out of.