Dale Steyn Slams Umpires After 'Excessive Fog' Abandons India vs South Africa 4th T20I

Legendary South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn criticised the match officials after the fourth T20I encounter between India and South Africa in Lucknow was called off due to "excessive fog". Following a delay of around three hours and multiple inspections, the match at the Ekana Stadium was abandoned. The stadium was engulfed by heavy fog, and with a poor AQI of over 400, both the playing conditions and visibility were not ideal. Despite the umpires conducting several inspections, the game was finally called off around 9:30 pm IST.

Steyn expressed his confusion regarding the exact parameters considered by the on-field umpires in such situations. "I was going to say I'd love to get one of the umpires. Sometimes they say there's another inspection at 8:30, but I don't know all the rules they're looking at. As a player, you just play the game. It would be informative to know what they're assessing and thinking. If they walk past again, we should grab them and ask for clarity. As a former player, I feel we could play in this, but obviously, there's something in the rules that I'm not fully aware of," Steyn said on JioHotstar.

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa was also not pleased with the delay and expressed his surprise at the umpires not calling the match off despite adverse conditions. 

“I'm actually not even listening to you because I'm so befuddled by the umpire's decision right now. How do they think it's going to get better as the night wears on? It's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. It's counterintuitive. What are they actually thinking, and what do they think will happen in half an hour that hasn't happened over the last hour and a half? It's quite confusing that they've still decided to give it half an hour more,” Uthappa said.

Topics mentioned in this article

Dale Steyn Robin Uthappa India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team India vs South Africa 2025, India Cricket