The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla made it very clear on Saturday that the ICC World Cup 2023 match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka won't be shifted from Delhi despite the worsening air pollution levels in the national capital.
Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka cancelled their training sessions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday and Saturday due to the rising AQI, which has touched the "severe plus" category due to the pollution and smog in the city.
Bangladesh are already out of contention for the semi-finals and Sri Lanka are also one defeat away from getting knocked out. They will be playing in Delhi on November 6.
Delhi reeling under smog & pollution
The city's AQI stood at 407 on Saturday morning. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
The air quality is usually assessed by match officials on the day of a game.
"Not having practice (session) is one thing but there will be no shifting (in the match venue)," Shukla told reporters.
ICC monitoring situation
The International Cricket Council (ICC) meanwhile, said on Saturday that it is monitoring the situation in Delhi amid the growing concern over playing in the worsening air pollution.
"The ICC and our hosts the BCCI take the well-being of all participants seriously and are monitoring the air quality in Delhi. We are taking expert advice to assess the situation," the ICC stated.
The last of the five World Cup games allotted to Delhi is scheduled for Monday.
The city's AQI on Friday was the worst since the previous high recorded on November 12, 2021.
However, during a review meeting, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) decided to monitor the situation for a day or more before implementing stricter curbs. (With PTI inputs)
