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Delhi's Pollution Is So Bad That Two Cricketers Threw Up On The Field During An India-Sri Lanka Tournament

The players have been wearing masks.
A Sri Lankan player, wearing a face mask, stands in the field. REUTERS/Stringer
Stringer . / Reuters
A Sri Lankan player, wearing a face mask, stands in the field. REUTERS/Stringer

Two Indian and Sri Lankan cricketers playing under Delhi's smog condition vomited on the field, strengthening the visitors' argument that the polluted weather of the national capital is just not fit for the tournament.

In comments to the press, Indian pacer Mohammad Sami initially played down Sri Lankan health fears.

"Pollution is an aspect that we seriously need to think about. But what was being portrayed (by Sri Lanka), it wasn't to that extent," he was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

He said Indians are more used to pollution than Sri Lankans, who have repeatedly raised the issue of pollution which have reached alarming proportions since the beginning of November.

Sami too was seen throwing up on the Kotla field on Tuesday, the fourth day of the final Test. He had to take a break from bowling and was replaced by spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

During India's second innings,Sri Lankan pacer Suranga Lakmal bent over and vomited on the field. The players have come out on the field wearing masks to escape Delhi's toxic air.

A Sri Lankan player, wearing a face mask, gestures as he walks in the field. REUTERS/Stringer
Stringer . / Reuters
A Sri Lankan player, wearing a face mask, gestures as he walks in the field. REUTERS/Stringer

In an interview to Times of India, Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews observed that the complaints about pollution hadn't actually soured the team's relationship with its Indian counterpart. "It was one of those unique occasions when none of us knew what to do," he said.

The players have reportedly complained of breathlessness.

A doctor has checked Lakmal's condition with permission from ICC Match Referee David Boon.

"Some tests were done; I've no idea what they tell you, what they don't. We saw, at the end of today Mohammed Shami was also struggling... A situation is a situation, so let's get on with it," Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas said.

The government shut schools in Delhi last month when the city was covered with a layer of dense, yellowish blanket of smog.

The quality of Delhi's air remained "very poor" on Tuesday and particulate matter shot up to 10 times the permissible amount in certain parts on Tuesday, according to this report.

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