Bangladesh cancel training session at Arun Jaitley Stadium due to polluted air - Reports
Bangladesh canceled their scheduled training session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday, November 3, ahead of their clash against Sri Lanka, due to pollution in the capital city. The two subcontinent sides will face each other on Monday, November 6, amid the growing concerns surrounding the air quality.
The situation in Delhi has taken a turn for the worse in recent days, with the air quality index rating entering the 'severe' category.
The Bangladesh team management decided to cancel the training session after several players complained of coughing while venturing out in the city on November 2 during an off day.
Shakib Al Hasan and company have officially been ruled out of the semifinal contention, but the remaining games are crucial in terms of their qualification hopes for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud told reporters (via Cricbuzz):
"Today, we had training session but the condition got bad from yesterday so we didn't take the chance because we still have two more days for training. Many (cricketers) went out yesterday and now they are having some kind of coughing so there is a risk factor involved and so we cancelled the training so that they don't get unwell."
He continued:
"We don't know what will the decision be and whether the weather will get better or not and if it gets better certainly it is good for us and if that is not the case we still have to adapt to it and have to train tomorrow. Because we have a game on October 6th and still have two more days in our hand so we want the boys to be fully fit because these two games are very important for us."
Bangladesh are currently placed ninth on the points table and have two more matches left to play in the campaign.
Bangladesh have only won one match in their 2023 World Cup campaign
There were high expectations from Bangladesh in the 2023 World Cup, given that it is being played in subcontinent conditions. However, it has been a tournament to forget, with a win over Afghanistan in the opening weekend being their only form of solace.
Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud expects the entire campaign to be dissected upon its culmination, with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha's future being a key factor. He said:
"It is too early to say (whether Hathurusingha will be there or not). The World Cup is still ongoing and Hathu is still our head coach, so it won't send the right message to the team."
The team is currently on a six-game losing run and faces the risk of finishing at the bottom of the table and losing out on the Champions Trophy 2025. Their remaining scheduled matches are against Sri Lanka and Australia in Delhi and Pune respectively.