Smog in Lahore forces PCB to relocate second Test to Rawalpindi
Pakistan and Sri Lanka will remain in Rawalpindi for the second Test • AFP/Getty Images
The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi, where the first Test is currently ongoing. The PCB announced the decision was being taken due to "prevailing weather conditions".
Lahore is currently engulfed in severe seasonal smog, which affects parts of India and Pakistan between October and December. At the time of writing (November 10), Lahore has the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss technology company monitoring air quality. Over the past week, it has frequently swapped places with Delhi for the poorest air quality globally.
Cricinfo understands the broadcasters had expressed reservations about the quality of the broadcast in Lahore, should the game go ahead in severe smog conditions. Earlier this week, as air quality in Lahore worsened, they were told not to make arrangements for travel to Lahore for the second Test, with the PCB preparing to make a public decision on the relocation of the Test.
Related
Shakeel, Saqib hand Pakistan the advantage against SL
The uncomfortable art of being Saud Shakeel
How the WTC is reshaping the second tier of Test cricket
The decision is a blow to the PCB's efforts to expand the cricketing season in Lahore to include early autumn. If the second Test had proceeded at the Gaddafi, it would have been the first time since 2007 that an international match had been held in the city later in the year than November 1.
Hazardous air quality in Punjab, and especially Lahore, has frequently affected cricket in this part of the season. In 2020, a white-ball series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in November was moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi. In December 2022, a Test against New Zealand was shifted from Multan to Karachi.
The dates for the Test are unchanged, taking place from 17 to 21 November.
Danyal Rasool is Cricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.