Fourth T20 match between India and South Africa canceled due to fog

The fourth T20I match between India and South Africa at the Ekana Cricket Stadium was canceled on Wednesday due to fog. The toss was scheduled to take place at 6:30 pm, but after repeated inspections, the umpires deemed the conditions unsuitable for play. This makes the next match of the series, which will be held in Ahmedabad on December 19, decisive. On Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an “orange alert” for “very dense fog” in 13 districts of eastern and central Uttar Pradesh. A “yellow alert” was also issued for dense fog for 27 districts from eastern to western parts of the state.

Lucknow was all set to host a T20 match for the first time in December, but fans were disappointed by the dense fog. Fans could barely see the stands on the other side of the stadium due to thick fog. Early indications of the match being canceled came when the toss, which was initially scheduled for 6:30 PM IST, was postponed to 6:50 PM. However, since the fog did not clear, observations were made at 7:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM. At 9:25 pm, floodlights appeared from the batsman’s crease, after which the match was abandoned at 9:30 pm local time.

Umpire K.N. Pandit and Anantapadmanabhan did some visual exercises during the 8pm inspection. One umpire held the ball at the other end of the pitch, while the other went to deep midwicket to check whether the ball was visible. When it became clear that the ball was not easily visible, another inspection was scheduled.

The Indian team is currently leading the series 2-1. Team India won the first match played in Cuttack by 101 runs, after which South Africa won by 51 runs in New Chandigarh to level the series 1-1. Team India won the third match of the series played in Dharamshala by 7 wickets and took the lead once again. Now team India will try to win the last match and win the series 3-1, while the visiting team will try to win that match and end the series 2-2.