Lucknow: Persistent fog forced officials to abandon the fourth T20I between India and South Africa at the Ekana Stadium on Wednesday night, without a ball being played. The match, featuring Suryakumar Yadav’s India against Aiden Markram’s South Africa, was seen as a potentially decisive contest in the five-match series.

The toss was delayed as a blanket of smog enveloped the ground, and following multiple inspections, the umpires eventually abandoned the match.

Match officials carried out as many as six separate inspections as visibility continued to remain poor under the floodlights. On each occasion, umpires assessed conditions from the batter’s end, but the dense fog showed no signs of lifting, leaving play impossible.

Spectators stayed back in anticipation as the inspections continued, hoping for an improvement that never arrived. With conditions unlikely to change, the decision was eventually taken to abandon the match.

The official confirmation came at 9:25 pm IST, nearly three hours after the scheduled toss time of 6:30 pm. India continue to hold a 2-1 lead in the series, which now moves to Ahmedabad for the final T20I. South Africa will need a win there to draw level and avoid a series defeat.