Lucknow (India) (AFP) – The fourth T20 international between India and South Africa was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to dense fog in the northern Indian city of Lucknow on Wednesday.

The toss was scheduled for 6:30pm local time (1300 GMT) but never took place despite several pitch inspections at the Ekana Stadium. The umpires eventually called off the match at 9:30pm.

T20 world champions India lead the five-match series 2-1 ahead of the final match on Friday in Ahmedabad.

The series is part of the build-up for the T20 World Cup which starts in February in India and Sri Lanka.

A statement said, the match "has been abandoned due to excessive fog, making playing conditions unsafe".

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen wearing a mask to trigger online discussions on deteriorating pollution levels.

Levels of cancer-causing PM 2.5 microparticles hit 78 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of Lucknow, according to monitoring organisation IQAir, more than five times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.

But recently pollution levels have been found to be much worse in northern India, including in capital Delhi where the PM 2.5 microparticles rose to more than 20 times the WHO levels during football star Lionel Messi's visit on Monday.

Acrid smog blankets parts of northern India, when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factories and heavy traffic.

Players first went through their drills at the ground before moving indoors for most of the inspections as disappointed fans made their way out of the venue.