The night was unfit for the players to play as the air quality in the city was ‘very poor’ and a thin veil of smog covered the ground during the match.
West Indies cricketers. (Photo by Rohit UMRAO / AFP)
The spectators at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow witnessed a bizarre moment in Saturday’s day-night second ODI match between West Indies and Afghanistan as the Carribean players were seen wearing face masks to counter black moths.
The night was unfit for the players to play as the air quality in the city was ‘very poor’ and a thin veil of smog covered the ground during the match.
The match was a day and night affair and as soon as the floodlights came on, a swarm of huge black moths descended upon the ground. Moths could be spotted around the crease and the boundary line which led to West Indies captain Kieron Pollard and all-rounder Jason Holder to talk to the umpires. Matches are halted in situations like these but the officials went ahead and the players seemingly decided to take protection.
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About the match:
West Indies defeated Afghanistan by 47 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series. Wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran was declared Player of the Match.
Earlier, Afghanistan had won the toss and opted to bowl. West Indies scored 247 runs in 50 overs before wrapping up Afghanistan for 200 with Sheldon Cottrell, Roston Chase and Hayden Walsh taking three wickets each.
However, it was the 67-run knock from Pooran off 50 balls that became the cynosure of all eyes and took the match away from the Afghans.
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