The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi because of severe smog in the Punjab capital. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the switch on Tuesday, 10 November, with the match dates unchanged on 17-21 November.

The PCB said the decision was taken because of "prevailing weather conditions", but the cause is the hazardous smog that has gripped Lahore in recent weeks. According to ESPNcricinfo, Lahore had the worst air quality of any city in the world on Tuesday, as measured by Swiss monitoring firm IQAir, and has frequently swapped places with Delhi for the poorest air quality globally over the past week.

Why the second Test was moved

Rawalpindi will now host both Tests of the two-match series. The first Test is already under way at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where Pakistan declared their first innings on 434 for 9 and Sri Lanka closed the second day on 114 for 3. Keeping the teams in Rawalpindi removes the need for a mid-series move into the smog.

Broadcasters had also raised concerns about the quality of the television pictures in Lahore if the game went ahead in severe smog, and earlier in the week they were told not to make travel arrangements for the second Test while the PCB prepared its public decision.

A blow for Lahore cricket

The move is a setback for the PCB's efforts to extend the cricket season in Lahore into early autumn. Had the second Test 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 in Punjab has disrupted cricket 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. SuperSport also confirmed the relocation, quoting the PCB statement that the match will now be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on the same dates.

The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship, with the second Test now set for Rawalpindi from 17 to 21 November.