PCB Moves Second Sri Lanka Test From Lahore to Rawalpindi Over Smog

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved the second Test against Sri Lanka from Lahore to Rawalpindi, according to reports by the another report and a report. Both outlets link the change to worsening smog in Lahore. The match dates, November 17 to 21, have not changed.

Rawalpindi will now host both Tests of the two-match series. The first Test, which a report says began on November 9, is already underway at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second had been scheduled for the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

What was announced

The another report reports that the PCB announced the change on Tuesday. a report does not give a day. It says the board confirmed the move in an official statement, with a spokesperson citing rising smog as the main reason. We have not seen the statement itself, so the wording below comes from the media reports.

What the reports say about Lahore's air

a report cites the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency as saying Lahore's Air Quality Index touched 421, which falls in the hazardous category. No date or time for that reading is given, so it may not match current conditions.

The another report says that, according to IQAir, a Swiss air-quality monitoring company, Lahore is currently the most polluted major city in the world. That is a point-in-time claim with no measurement date supplied.

a report also says the PCB acted because of health risks to players, officials, support staff and spectators. That is the outlet's framing; it is not presented as a direct quotation from the PCB, so it should be read as an interpretation.

Earlier smog-related moves

The another report notes that Pakistan has relocated matches over air quality before. In November 2020, a limited-overs series against Zimbabwe was moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi because of smog. In December 2022, a Test against New Zealand was shifted from Multan to Karachi over what the paper calls similar air-quality concerns. Both examples come from that one source, but together they show venue changes of this kind are not new for Pakistan.

What is still unknown

The supplied reports do not include the PCB's full statement or say what air-quality threshold, if any, the board uses for such decisions. They also do not explain how the change affects team travel or ticketing. a report mentions World Test Championship points at stake, but no supporting detail is given and the other source does not mention it, so it is left out here.

Questions answered

Have the dates of the second Test changed?

No. Both sources say it will still be played from November 17 to 21, now in Rawalpindi.

Why was the venue changed?

Both reports attribute the move to worsening smog and air quality in Lahore. We have not seen the PCB's own statement.