Air quality in Delhi hit severe levels on Friday and a thick toxic smog cloaked the city, marking the beginning of a pollution season that has become an annual catastrophe for India’s capital.

Schools were shut and non-essential construction was banned around Delhi as the air quality index in the city almost hit 500 – the highest the measurement will go and 100 times the limit deemed to be healthy by the World Health Organization.

On November 6, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host the clash between Asian counterparts, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

A World Cup match in such a scenario brings unwanted memories of December 2017, when nine of the 11 Sri Lankan players came out wearing masks after the tea break of a test match between the two teams. Indian bowler Mohammed Shami, too, vomited on the pitch.

The Bangladesh cricket team was forced to cancel its training session ahead of the World Cup clash against Sri Lanka due to extreme levels of air pollution in the national capital.They were supposed to have their first training session on Friday evening but the team management decided against it considering the high pollution levels.

Sri Lanka team arrived in Delhi on Friday and have scheduled to practice on Saturday evening.