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Pollution stops play at Delhi Test match as bowlers struggle to breathe
Sri Lanka say conditions in smog-hit Indian capital left players vomiting, and some of them took to field wearing face masks
Sri Lanka’s players wear anti-pollution masks during the match in Delhi. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
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Michael Safi in Delhi
@safimichael
Sunday 3 December 2017 15.47 GMTLast modified on Monday 4 December 2017 01.15 GMT
A cricket Test match between India and Sri Lanka was repeatedly interrupted on Sunday with claims players were “continuously vomiting” due to hazardous pollution levels in the Indian capital.
Commentators said it was the first recorded instance of an international match being halted due to the toxic smog that afflicts much of north India year-round but worsens to hazardous levels during winter months.
Airborne pollution levels 15 times the World Health Organisation limits confronted players on the second day of the third Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi on Sunday.
As the haze worsened, many Sri Lankan players returned from lunch wearing face masks before complaining to umpires, who halted play for 20 minutes to consult with team doctors and match officials.
The match resumed but was interrupted twice more as bowlers Lahiru Gamage and Suranga Lakmal left the field mid-over with breathing difficulties.
“We had players coming off the field and vomiting,” the Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas told reporters after the match.
“There were oxygen cylinders in the change room. It’s not normal for players to suffer in that way while playing the game.”
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A paramedic speaks to Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Gamage after he complained of shortness of breath. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
Pothas said Lakmal was “continuously vomiting” in the changing room. “I think it’s the first time that everybody has come across that situation,” he said.
“There aren’t too many rules regarding pollution. What we are going to do tomorrow is in the hands of the match referee. They will have meetings tonight to put in some sort of a precedent if it happens like this tomorrow.”
The Indian bowler Kuldeep Yadav was also seen sporting a face mask as he brought drinks to teammates on the field.
Umpires were awaiting Lakmal’s return to the field when the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, elected to declare with his side cruising on 536 runs with three wickets in hand.
The interruptions drew boos from the crowd for Sri Lanka’s opening batsmen as they made their way to the crease, where they played without masks.
The acting president of India’s cricket board was also unimpressed and said he would write to his Sri Lankan counterpart about the incident.
“If 20,000 people in the stands did not have problems and the Indian team did not face any issue, I wonder why the Sri Lankan team made a big fuss?” CK Khanna said.
It is the latest professional-grade match in Delhi to be affected by air pollution after two matches in the domestic Ranji Trophy tournament were abandoned in the city when it was engulfed in smog in November 2016.
Some Indian fans accused the Sri Lankan side of being melodramatic but the cricket writer Ayaz Memon said the episode sent an “unedifying message” about pollution in the city.
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Sri Lanka’s captain Dinesh Chandimal fields in a mask. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
Schools were shut and doctors declared a public health emergency in Delhi last month as pollution levels spiked to levels 40 times the WHO safe limits, likened to smoking at least 50 cigarettes in a day.
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United Airlines briefly halted flights into the capital and foreign diplomats voiced fears the city could become a “non-family” posting due to the polluted environment.
Doctors warn against physical activity in the smog but around 30,000 runners still participated in an annual half-marathon in the city in November.
Delhi officials have been accused of not preparing for what has become an annual crisis each winter, while the Indian government has played down the urgency and health risks associated with the problem.
The extremely poor air in the city is the result of a combination of road dust, open fires, vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial emissions and the burning of crop residues in neighbouring states. Indian weather agencies also blame dust stormsthat originate in the Gulf.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...lhi-test-match-as-bowlers-struggle-to-breathe
India cricket test players battle on through thick New Delhi smog
By Kelly Murray and Sugam Pokharel, CNN
Updated 0713 GMT (1513 HKT) December 4, 2017
Sri Lanka's cricket team wears anti-pollution masks as they play the second day of their third test match in New Delhi, on Sunday December 3.
Story highlights
New Delhi (CNN)Test cricketers from Sri Lanka and India have resumed play Monday despite soaring air pollution levels that left players vomiting and struggling to breathe.
The second day of the international match was halted three times Sunday as a thick blanket of smog descended on Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
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Then, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was over 200, which is considered "very unhealthy." On Monday morning it was around twice that, what's considered "hazardous," according to the AQI.
New Delhi residents have endured dense smog for weeks now that's prompted school closures, partial bans on private cars and a surge in patients at hospitals complaining of chest pain, breathlessness and burning eyes.
Captain of Sri Lanka's cricket team, Dinesh Chandimal wears an anti-pollution mask during the cricket match in New Delhi on Sunday, December 3.
After Sunday's game in the five-day test, Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas said some players had become physically ill.
"The match referee was in our change room and the doctors, and Suranga (Lakmal), poor guy, was just continuously vomiting. Doctors were in there as well. Dhananjaya de Silva was vomiting. It was tough," Pothas said, referring to two of the players.
The third time play stopped was because Sri Lankan fast bowler Lakmal walked off the field.
"I mean fast bowling is a very high intensity activity, and you could clearly see that two guys were struggling to perform that activity," Pothas said.
The match referee was seen getting advice from the doctor, but nevertheless, the game went on, with the majority of the Sri Lankan players resorting to wearing anti-pollution face masks.
An Indian woman and her child walk amid heavy smog on a street in New Delhi on December 4, 2017.
Flood lights had to be switched on because light readings were so low.
Bharat Arun, India's bowling coach, seemed to downplay the poisonous conditions, saying they weren't too bothered by it. He noted that captain Virat Kohli, who struck a career-best 243, batted for two days without a face mask.
"He didn't need a mask. We are focused on what we need to do. The conditions are the same for both the teams... I don't think we need to be thinking about what the opposition does. It's their problem to keep their bowlers fit," he said in response to reporters' questions about the pollution.
Kohli declared the innings on 536 shortly after the match was halted. Match commentators said that could have been because the game was being constantly stopped.
"Our intention was not to halt the play. We wanted to seek clarity of the situation... Safety of our bowlers and our players is paramount," Pothas explained. "The high level of air pollution in Delhi was well-documented, but what happened was a unique and abnormal case. It was not normal the way our players suffered."
Officiating umpire Nigel Llong, third from right, addresses Sri Lanka's players wearing masks, during a brief break on Sunday's match.
In cricket, there aren't a lot of rules regarding pollution. The decision of whether to go on is ultimately up to the match referee.
Conditions aren't expected to improve any time soon; pollution levels are expected to remain high until winter ends.
Temperatures are forecast to remain in the low-20s (mid-70s Farenheit) this week with little to no wind and no chance of rain, according to CNN's weather team.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/04/sport/cricket-delhi-pollution-intl/
Sri Lanka say conditions in smog-hit Indian capital left players vomiting, and some of them took to field wearing face masks
Sri Lanka’s players wear anti-pollution masks during the match in Delhi. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
Shares
2,104
Michael Safi in Delhi
@safimichael
Sunday 3 December 2017 15.47 GMTLast modified on Monday 4 December 2017 01.15 GMT
A cricket Test match between India and Sri Lanka was repeatedly interrupted on Sunday with claims players were “continuously vomiting” due to hazardous pollution levels in the Indian capital.
Commentators said it was the first recorded instance of an international match being halted due to the toxic smog that afflicts much of north India year-round but worsens to hazardous levels during winter months.
Airborne pollution levels 15 times the World Health Organisation limits confronted players on the second day of the third Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi on Sunday.
As the haze worsened, many Sri Lankan players returned from lunch wearing face masks before complaining to umpires, who halted play for 20 minutes to consult with team doctors and match officials.
The match resumed but was interrupted twice more as bowlers Lahiru Gamage and Suranga Lakmal left the field mid-over with breathing difficulties.
“We had players coming off the field and vomiting,” the Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas told reporters after the match.
“There were oxygen cylinders in the change room. It’s not normal for players to suffer in that way while playing the game.”
FacebookTwitterPinterest
A paramedic speaks to Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Gamage after he complained of shortness of breath. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
Pothas said Lakmal was “continuously vomiting” in the changing room. “I think it’s the first time that everybody has come across that situation,” he said.
“There aren’t too many rules regarding pollution. What we are going to do tomorrow is in the hands of the match referee. They will have meetings tonight to put in some sort of a precedent if it happens like this tomorrow.”
The Indian bowler Kuldeep Yadav was also seen sporting a face mask as he brought drinks to teammates on the field.
Umpires were awaiting Lakmal’s return to the field when the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, elected to declare with his side cruising on 536 runs with three wickets in hand.
The interruptions drew boos from the crowd for Sri Lanka’s opening batsmen as they made their way to the crease, where they played without masks.
The acting president of India’s cricket board was also unimpressed and said he would write to his Sri Lankan counterpart about the incident.
“If 20,000 people in the stands did not have problems and the Indian team did not face any issue, I wonder why the Sri Lankan team made a big fuss?” CK Khanna said.
It is the latest professional-grade match in Delhi to be affected by air pollution after two matches in the domestic Ranji Trophy tournament were abandoned in the city when it was engulfed in smog in November 2016.
Some Indian fans accused the Sri Lankan side of being melodramatic but the cricket writer Ayaz Memon said the episode sent an “unedifying message” about pollution in the city.
FacebookTwitterPinterest
Sri Lanka’s captain Dinesh Chandimal fields in a mask. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP
Schools were shut and doctors declared a public health emergency in Delhi last month as pollution levels spiked to levels 40 times the WHO safe limits, likened to smoking at least 50 cigarettes in a day.
Advertisement
United Airlines briefly halted flights into the capital and foreign diplomats voiced fears the city could become a “non-family” posting due to the polluted environment.
Doctors warn against physical activity in the smog but around 30,000 runners still participated in an annual half-marathon in the city in November.
Delhi officials have been accused of not preparing for what has become an annual crisis each winter, while the Indian government has played down the urgency and health risks associated with the problem.
The extremely poor air in the city is the result of a combination of road dust, open fires, vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial emissions and the burning of crop residues in neighbouring states. Indian weather agencies also blame dust stormsthat originate in the Gulf.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...lhi-test-match-as-bowlers-struggle-to-breathe
India cricket test players battle on through thick New Delhi smog
By Kelly Murray and Sugam Pokharel, CNN
Updated 0713 GMT (1513 HKT) December 4, 2017
Sri Lanka's cricket team wears anti-pollution masks as they play the second day of their third test match in New Delhi, on Sunday December 3.
Story highlights
- Sri Lanka coach says players were vomiting as pollution levels soared
- India coach says his team wasn't too bothered by the smog
New Delhi (CNN)Test cricketers from Sri Lanka and India have resumed play Monday despite soaring air pollution levels that left players vomiting and struggling to breathe.
The second day of the international match was halted three times Sunday as a thick blanket of smog descended on Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
Sponsor Content
Get the inside track of a horse race
The Longines Positioning App takes you on a unique journey inside a horse race and right tothe heart of an incredible sport.
Content provided by Longines
Then, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was over 200, which is considered "very unhealthy." On Monday morning it was around twice that, what's considered "hazardous," according to the AQI.
New Delhi residents have endured dense smog for weeks now that's prompted school closures, partial bans on private cars and a surge in patients at hospitals complaining of chest pain, breathlessness and burning eyes.
Captain of Sri Lanka's cricket team, Dinesh Chandimal wears an anti-pollution mask during the cricket match in New Delhi on Sunday, December 3.
After Sunday's game in the five-day test, Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas said some players had become physically ill.
"The match referee was in our change room and the doctors, and Suranga (Lakmal), poor guy, was just continuously vomiting. Doctors were in there as well. Dhananjaya de Silva was vomiting. It was tough," Pothas said, referring to two of the players.
The third time play stopped was because Sri Lankan fast bowler Lakmal walked off the field.
"I mean fast bowling is a very high intensity activity, and you could clearly see that two guys were struggling to perform that activity," Pothas said.
The match referee was seen getting advice from the doctor, but nevertheless, the game went on, with the majority of the Sri Lankan players resorting to wearing anti-pollution face masks.
An Indian woman and her child walk amid heavy smog on a street in New Delhi on December 4, 2017.
Flood lights had to be switched on because light readings were so low.
Bharat Arun, India's bowling coach, seemed to downplay the poisonous conditions, saying they weren't too bothered by it. He noted that captain Virat Kohli, who struck a career-best 243, batted for two days without a face mask.
"He didn't need a mask. We are focused on what we need to do. The conditions are the same for both the teams... I don't think we need to be thinking about what the opposition does. It's their problem to keep their bowlers fit," he said in response to reporters' questions about the pollution.
Kohli declared the innings on 536 shortly after the match was halted. Match commentators said that could have been because the game was being constantly stopped.
"Our intention was not to halt the play. We wanted to seek clarity of the situation... Safety of our bowlers and our players is paramount," Pothas explained. "The high level of air pollution in Delhi was well-documented, but what happened was a unique and abnormal case. It was not normal the way our players suffered."
Officiating umpire Nigel Llong, third from right, addresses Sri Lanka's players wearing masks, during a brief break on Sunday's match.
In cricket, there aren't a lot of rules regarding pollution. The decision of whether to go on is ultimately up to the match referee.
Conditions aren't expected to improve any time soon; pollution levels are expected to remain high until winter ends.
Temperatures are forecast to remain in the low-20s (mid-70s Farenheit) this week with little to no wind and no chance of rain, according to CNN's weather team.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/04/sport/cricket-delhi-pollution-intl/
