Cricket-Pakistan move second Sri Lanka test to Rawalpindi from Lahore due to smog

The second match ​in the two-test ​series between ‌Pakistan and ​Sri Lanka next week has been moved to Rawalpindi ‌from Lahore due to worsening smog, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday. Rawalpindi is currently hosting ‌the series opener, with the second match ‌to be played from November 17-21 as scheduled.

Lahore has been grappling with poor air quality in ⁠recent ​weeks as ⁠seasonal smog blankets large parts of Pakistan during the ⁠winter months. According to IQAir, a Swiss air-quality monitoring ​company, Lahore is currently the most polluted ⁠major city in the world.

Air-quality concerns have disrupted cricket ⁠schedules ​in Pakistan before. Smog led to the relocation of a limited-overs series against ⁠Zimbabwe from Lahore to Rawalpindi in 2020, and ⁠a ⁠test against New Zealand from Multan to Karachi in 2022.