The Sri Lankan cricket team manager Mahinda Halagonda dismissed media reports claiming the 1996 champions had requested the ICC to shift the match to another venue on Sunday (November 05). Most of the Sri Lankan players wore masks when they arrived at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the afternoon.

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“We didn’t make a request to change… We just asked them what’s the plan,” Halagonda told reporters.

Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had already cancelled one practice session in the build up to Monday’s (November 06) match between eliminated Bangladesh and seventh-placed Sri Lanka, who have only the slimmest of chances of reaching the last four.

“I think they have installed some equipment here, and they’ve got specialists to check (the air quality). …. They have already informed us that they are planning to go ahead. So we will do exactly what the ICC actually tells us to do.”

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Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) read an alarming 460 on Sunday and Hathurusinghe said they were trying to minimise exposing their players to such conditions ahead of the match.

An AQI of 0-50 is considered good while anything between 400-500 affects healthy people and is considered a danger to those with existing diseases.

Sri Lanka faces Bangladesh in New Delhi in their World Cup league match on Monday (November 06).

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