The Under-17 Asia Cup cricket tournament has been suspended while the semifinals were abandoned as smoke from the Indonesian forest fire blanketed Malaysia today.
Nepal was playing Kuwait at the Selangor Turf Club ground and were at a very good position scoring 132/2 in 28 overs when the play was called off. A meeting of technical committee, including Charlie Chelliah -Tournament Director, Anil Kalaver-Technical Director and Roger Binny – Tournament Referee, decided to suspend further play keeping in view the risks of players and officials’ health.
The committee said:
– In view of the worsening haze condition and the petential risk to players and officials health, it was decided to abandon all matches and suspend any further play in the tournament.
– The results of matches between Kuwait & Nepal and Bahrain & Singapore will be henceforth be declared as “no result” matches.
The AFP added: The hosts Malaysia had declared a state of emergency in towns on its west coast as smoke from forest fires smothered parts of the country pushing pollution levels dangerously high.
The choking smog has blanketed the capital Kuala Lumpur and other parts of peninsular Malaysia for more than week, disrupting airports and shipping, angering citizens and raising fears over public health.
Under the measures all workplaces are to remain closed except for essential services, food shops and supermarkets. Schools are to close and citizens are advised to stay at home if possible.
The air pollution index (API) reached 529 in Port Klang, a major shipping centre, and 531 in Kuala Selangor. An API above 300 is considered hazardous and 500 triggers a state of emergency.
In Kuala Lumpur the index reached 321, shrouding the city in a yellowish mist and making the tops of buildings disappear.
Malaysia had experienced an even worse haze crisis in 1997 and 1998.