Sri Lanka players wore face masks to "combat smog pollution that disrupted" the third test against India in Delhi, according to the BBC. The Indian capital has been "plagued by the problem for several weeks." Sri Lanka had 10 men on the pitch at one point, "despite several players wearing masks," with Lahiru Gamage and fellow bowler Suranga Lakmal leaving the field during the afternoon session. On one occasion, the umpires "consulted doctors and physiotherapists before resuming" (BBC, 12/3). The London TELEGRAPH reported the second session "witnessed two stoppages," of 17 and five minutes. Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas said, "It's well documented that Delhi has high level of pollution. At one point, we had a case of coming off the field vomiting. There were oxygen things in the change room. It's not normal for players to suffer that way." Pothas denied that Sri Lanka "at any stage pressed for stopping the game." India's bowling coach, Bharat Arun, however, "played down the issue." He said, "We are focused on what we need to do. The conditions are the same for both, we aren't too bothered about it" (TELEGRAPH, 12/3). The AFP reported concentrations of the "smallest and most harmful airbone pollutants" in Delhi, one of the world's most polluted capitals, hit 384 -- 15 times the World Health Organisation maximum -- before returning to levels considered just "unhealthy," the U.S. embassy website showed (AFP, 12/3).
