ICC CWC 2023: 'We Don't Want To Get Sick', Bangladesh Cancel Practice Session Due To Delhi's 'Worsening' Air Pollution

Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud on Friday stated that their team opted to cancel training session in Delhi to protect their players from the city's air pollution. The Bangladesh team arrived in Delhi on Wednesday in preparation for their World Cup match against Sri Lanka scheduled for November 6. Initially, they had planned three training sessions at Arun Jaitley Stadium, with the first one set for Friday from 6pm to 9pm.

Delhi's deteriorating air quality

However, Delhi declared an air emergency on Thursday due to the air quality index surpassing 400 in multiple areas of the city. This led the government to shut down schools for a two-day period and impose restrictions on both construction activities and vehicular traffic. As of now, it has been reported by ESPNcricinfo that there have been no discussions between the ICC and BCCI regarding the possible relocation of the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match scheduled for Monday.

Don't want players to get sick: Bangladesh team director

Khaled Mahmud, speaking to media, said, "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," he went on to add.

Bangladesh's training session on Saturday is likewise planned for the evening, and on Sunday, they are set to train at 2 pm.

Rohit Sharma had expressed apprehension regarding air quality

Earlier, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had expressed apprehension about the deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and across the nation in the lead-up to India's World Cup match against Sri Lanka. He stressed the importance of ensuring that upcoming generations can live in India "without any fear." On the same day, the BCCI announced that there would be no fireworks displays during the remaining games in Mumbai and Delhi due to concerns about air quality.