With the notorious air pollution putting Monday's Sri Lanka-Bangladesh World Cup match in jeopardy, the ICC has sought advice from renowned pulmonologist Randeep Guleria to ensure that the game takes place as scheduled. Bangladesh's match against the Islanders has a veil of uncertainty around it as a thick layer of toxic haze has enveloped the city since the last four days. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Streaming | Key Battles | Full Coverage)
The AQI (Air Quality Index) is likely to remain in the severe category till at least Tuesday. While a decision will be taken by the match officials on Monday, the game's governing body has put in place mitigation measures like installing water sprinklers and adding air purifiers in the dressing rooms to curb the hazardous air pollution.
"The BCCI engaged the services of renowned Pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria to assess the situation in Delhi ahead of Monday's game and provide independent expert advice," an ICC spokesperson told PTI. "Under Dr Guleria's guidance, the venue team has been taking mitigating actions throughout the day including the implementation of water sprinklers around the premises and the installation of air purifiers in the dressing rooms and match officials areas."
The steps have helped in lowering pollution levels in the immediate vicinity. "The AQI within the stadium was monitored throughout the day which has reduced to levels considered acceptable by Dr Guleria," the spokesperson said. While Sri Lanka decided to stay indoors on Saturday, Bangladesh braved hazardous conditions to train last evening, wearing masks at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The 'Tigers' had cancelled their opening training session on Friday due to the poor quality air.
However, Bangladesh went about their usual business this afternoon with batters honing their skills at nets. Litton Das spent the most time at nets while Mushfiqur Rahim, Najmul Hossain Shanto also went through the drills but the pacers did not join their colleagues at the nets. Most of the cricketers and support staff were wearing masks due to the air pollution.
"The ICC will continue to work in collaboration with Dr Guleria, BCCI, DDCA, and the Delhi Government to monitor the air quality and to take all possible steps to mitigate the air quality concerns at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and the match remains scheduled to take place in Delhi on Monday," the ICC spokesperson said.
It is not the first time that a match is taking place in the national capital under such circumstances. The Sri Lankan players had resorted to wearing masks during a Test series back in 2017. The Bangladesh cricketers did the same in a T20 in 2019. A number of Sri Lankan players had faced respiratory issues back then, while some even vomited in the dressing room due to the hazardous conditions.
