Smog Forces Pakistan–Sri Lanka Test Out of LahoreSports

Lahore is currently engulfed in severe seasonal smog, which affects parts of India and Pakistan between October and December. At the time of the announcement, Lahore had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss company that monitors air quality. Over the past week, the city has frequently swapped places with Delhi for the poorest air quality anywhere in the world.

The board’s decision followed concerns from broadcasters about the quality of the television coverage if the game went ahead in heavy smog. Broadcasters had been told earlier in the week not to make arrangements to travel to Lahore for the second Test, while the PCB prepared to announce the move.

The relocation is a blow to the PCB’s efforts to expand the cricket season in Lahore into early autumn. If the second Test had gone ahead at Gaddafi Stadium, it would have been the first time since 2007 that an international match had been held in the city later in the year than 1 November.

Hazardous air quality has disrupted cricket in this part of the season before. In 2020, a white-ball series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in November was moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi, and in December 2022 a Test against New Zealand was shifted from Multan to Karachi. Both teams will now stay in Rawalpindi, where the first Test is under way. Pakistan declared their first innings on 434 for nine on day two, and Sri Lanka reached 114 for three by stumps. The two-match series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27.