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[caption id="attachment_58341" align="alignnone" width="580"] Sri Lanka Coach Nic Pothas defended his players on Kotla smog.[/caption] Internet Desk: Sri Lanka Coach Nic Pothas on Sunday defended his player’s for requesting the umpires to stop the play on Day 2 of the third test match at Kotla. According to the visiting coach, “The smog was so extreme that his players -- who took the extraordinary step of wearing face masks -- were "coming off the field and vomiting". Play was halted for around 20 minutes at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium as Sri Lankan fielders complained of health troubles and the umpires consulted the match referee and team doctors. Play resumed but Sri Lanka protested twice more, with the visitors soon short on fielders as pacemen Lahiru Gamage and Suranga Lakmal returned to the pavilion. Pothas said his men were physically sick amid the "extremely high" pollution levels choking the ground. "We had players coming off the field and vomiting," he told reporters after the match. "There were oxygen cylinders in the change room. It's not normal for players to suffer in that way while playing the game." The South African added that Lakmal was "continuously vomiting" in the changing room, where the team doctors and the match referee had gathered to assess the situation. "I think it's the first time that everybody has come across that situation," he added. "There aren't too many rules regarding pollution. What we are going to do tomorrow is in the hands of the match referee. They will have meetings tonight to put in some sort of a precedent if it happens like this tomorrow."