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Smog forces second Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test out of LahoreSports
The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will no longer be played in Lahore. Dangerous smog has forced the PCB to shift the 17-21 November match to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where the series opener is already under way.
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Lahore’s thick seasonal smog has cost the city its Test match. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Tuesday that the second Test against Sri Lanka, due to be played at Gaddafi Stadium from 17 to 21 November, will now be held at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium instead.
The board said the match had been moved “due to prevailing weather conditions”. PCB spokesperson Amir Mir later confirmed the reason plainly: smog levels in Lahore had risen so sharply, and the air quality had deteriorated so badly, that the fixture could no longer stay in the Punjab capital.
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Lahore has been wrapped in heavy smog for more than a week. On 10 November, the city had the worst air quality of any major city in the world, according to IQAir, the Swiss air-quality monitoring firm, with readings deep into the hazardous range. Seasonal smog is a recurring problem across parts of Pakistan and northern India between October and December, and this year’s spell has been among the worst in recent memory.
Broadcasters had also raised concerns about the fixture. According to ESPNcricinfo, they had reservations about the quality of television coverage if the match went ahead under a heavy layer of smog, and had been asked not to make travel arrangements to Lahore while the board weighed its decision.
Dates unchanged as both Tests move to Rawalpindi
The dates of the second Test are unchanged. It will still be played from 17 to 21 November, only at a different ground. Both Tests of the two-match series will now be staged at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where the first Test is already under way, and both teams will simply stay on in the city rather than travelling to Lahore.
The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, so the change of venue carries no change to the context of the contest, only to where it is played.
The decision is a setback for the board’s plans to stage more international cricket in Lahore during the early part of the season. The city had been lined up to host the second Test as part of that push, but the smog that settles over Punjab each autumn has now forced the fixture out of the city altogether.
For the players, the move at least removes one journey. With the opening Test already being played in Rawalpindi, the two squads can prepare for the second match at the same ground, while Lahore waits for the winter haze to clear.
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