New Delhi, Dec 18 (NationPress) Following the cancellation of the fourth T20I match between India and South Africa due to severe fog and poor visibility, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is the designated authority responsible for issuing full refunds to ticket holders.

The match's cancellation led to dissatisfaction among fans who are anticipating ticket refunds. According to the BCCI’s refund guidelines, fans can receive reimbursement (minus applicable fees) if a match is canceled or abandoned before any play takes place.

"This falls under the jurisdiction of the state cricket association, which is the UPCA. As the host of this match, they will provide information regarding the refunds and are the competent authority.

"All ticketing matters are handled by the state association, as the BCCI merely grants them the hosting rights, with all arrangements managed by the state association," Saikia informed IANS on Thursday.

Multiple inspections conducted by on-field umpires K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Rohan Pandit, along with reserve umpire J.R. Madanagopal, did not produce the desired results, leading to the game's cancellation at 9:30 PM.

With the match called off at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, India maintains a 2-1 advantage in the five-match series, with the concluding game scheduled to occur at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

The cancellation of the fourth T20I has reignited discussions regarding the BCCI’s decision to schedule international matches during the winter months, especially given that this series against South Africa is seen as crucial preparation ahead of the Men’s T20 World Cup in February-March.

This was the first December T20I held in Lucknow, and it now holds the unfortunate title of hosting India’s first significant international match abandoned due to extreme fog.

India's seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya was even seen wearing a mask during the game, highlighting the severity of the fog and the hazardous Air Quality Index (AQI). The scheduling of matches during North Indian winters has long been a contentious topic, and Saikia expressed that Wednesday’s match abandonment in Lucknow was an unusual circumstance.

“No, this is an isolated weather event. Typically, we experience such weather in January. This year, it has come quite early. Additionally, we had a match in Dharamsala recently, which is much colder. Fog and rain are difficult to predict. Nowadays, cricket is a year-round event, and we have to schedule matches accordingly.

“Given the significant disruptions caused by fog in northern India during January, we have already adjusted our domestic cricket schedule. This is why there is a considerable gap between Ranji Trophy matches in North India. Our schedule separates the Ranji Trophy matches into two segments.

“In the first half of January, we do not schedule matches in North India, a practice we adopted from last year. The Lucknow incident was an exceptional weather anomaly. We had three matches in North India - one in Chandigarh, Dharamshala, and one in Lucknow - all in the same timeframe,” he explained.

Saikia cited an example of how prior warnings about smog in New Delhi following Diwali led to the second Test against the West Indies being held in October instead of the initially planned series opener against South Africa.

“If we had anticipated a situation like this, we could refer to the rescheduling of the Test match in New Delhi. For instance, the second Test was played there instead of the first Test originally meant for New Delhi. We swapped the matches from Kolkata and New Delhi based on the smog situation after Diwali. However, Lucknow presented an unexpected scenario. Predicting weather conditions is inherently unreliable.

“I doubt Lucknow typically experiences this level of fog during this time. It may be normal in early January, but we are still in the second or third week of December, meaning we have about 15 days before we might expect such conditions. This was a challenging situation we faced yesterday, and rescheduling isn't feasible for this,” he concluded.