The second Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is set to remain in Rawalpindi due to severe smog in Lahore, which was meant to host the game. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced this decision, attributing it to the “prevailing weather conditions.”
Currently, Lahore is shrouded in a seasonal smog common to parts of India and Pakistan from October through December. As of today, Lahore registers the poorest air quality worldwide, according to data from IQAir, a Swiss company monitoring air quality. Over the past week, Lahore has frequently ranked alongside Delhi for this unenviable distinction.
Sources reveal that broadcasters were concerned about broadcasting conditions in Lahore should the Test proceed amidst these smog levels. At the start of this week, noticing the worsening air quality, the PCB advised broadcasters against planning travel to Lahore, hinting at a possible shift in venue for the Test.
This change of venue somewhat sets back the PCB’s ambition to extend Lahore’s cricketing calendar into early autumn. If Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium had hosted the second Test as planned, it would have been the first international match held there post-November 1 since 2007.
Air quality struggles in Punjab—and Lahore particularly—have frequently disrupted cricket at this time of year. Notably, the smog forced a Pakistan-Zimbabwe white-ball series scheduled for November 2020 to be moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi, and in December 2022, a Test against New Zealand had to be relocated from Multan to Karachi.
Despite the change in location, the match’s dates remain unchanged, scheduled for 17th to 21st November.
