With the air pollution crossing the 'Severe' mark in Delhi and heading towards 'Hazardous' territory, the Bangladesh men's cricket team cancelled its training session in the city on Friday to safeguard its players, as per an ESPNCricinfo report. (ODI WC | Cricket News)
Bangladesh had arrived in Delhi on Wednesday ahead of their 2023 ODI World Cup match against Sri Lanka on November 6. The Bangladesh team management had originally scheduled three training sessions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with the first one slated for Friday evening. But the deteriorating air quality compounded matters, also forcing Delhi government to close primary school for two days.
"We actually had a training session today, but due to worsening conditions, we didn't take the chance." We have two more training days. Some of us developed coughing, so there's a risk factor. We don't want to get sick. We don't know if things will improve, but we have training tomorrow. We want all the players to be fit for the important game coming up on November 6," the report quoted Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud as saying.
On Wednesday, November 1, India captain Rohit Sharma had expressed his concern over the vitiated air quality in Indian cities, saying the current situation is not ideal and it is important that future generations "get to live without fear". On the same day, the BCCI had banned the display of fireworks during the remaining 2023 ODI World Cup games in Delhi and Mumbai due to worsening air quality in the two mega cities.
Bangladesh's opponents Sri Lanka too have complained of breathing issues caused by Delhi's toxic air pollution in the past. In 2017, the Sri Lankan players were forced to wear masks while on field in Delhi during the third match of the Test series. The then Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal had expressed concern and said his players were not comfortable on the field.
