NEW DELHI: The fourth T20I between India and South Africa in Lucknow on Wednesday was abandoned without a single ball being bowled due to “excessive fog,” a scenario that triggered widespread outrage among fans and renewed discussions on air quality and scheduling. Images of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya wearing a mask while warming up amid the dense smog went viral, highlighting the severity of the conditions. Fans at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium demanded refunds from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the match was finally called off at 9:25 pm after six separate inspections.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!While frustrating for spectators, such fog-induced abandonments are extremely rare in international cricket. The majority of matches are delayed or abandoned due to rain or wet outfields, making fog-caused cancellations an unusual occurrence.
Interestingly, the Lucknow T20I was not the first international match abandoned due to fog. In December 1998, the third Test between Pakistan and Zimbabwe at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad faced a similar fate. Scheduled from December 17 to 21, the match saw no play across all five days. Thick fog enveloped the city, drastically reducing visibility and making batting, bowling, and fielding impossible.The umpires for that match, Saleem Badar from Pakistan and Doug Cowie from New Zealand, were left in a procedural bind. Cowie explained in an interview with The Dawn that the decision to abandon the match rested with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Zimbabwe Cricket, while the umpires continued inspections daily to assess the ground.
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In a desperate bid to start the game, organisers even transported a super sopper from Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to Faisalabad to prepare the field quickly in case the fog lifted, but it never did. The match was ultimately abandoned without a ball being bowled, and Zimbabwe went on to win the three-match series 1-0 — their first-ever series victory.Both the Faisalabad Test and the Lucknow T20I underscore just how rare fog-induced abandonments are in cricket. While mist, fog, or low visibility may cause delays or interruptions, matches called off entirely due to fog remain anomalies in international cricket history.
