Smog Forces Pakistan–Sri Lanka Second Test Out of Lahore — Rawalpindi to Host Both Matches

November 10, 2026 Faizan Altaf

Lahore’s smog has now changed the course of a Test series. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka out of Lahore, shifting the match to Rawalpindi because the air in the Punjab capital has become too dangerous for international cricket.

The match will still be played on the same dates, from 17 to 21 November 2026, but at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium instead of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. It means Rawalpindi will now host both Tests of the two-match series — a rare outcome, and a clear sign of just how bad Lahore’s winter air has become.

For Pakistan’s cricket fans, it is a disappointment. Lahore is one of the great cricket cities of the world, and the Gaddafi Stadium was meant to host its first Test of the season. But for the players, the officials and the thousands of supporters who would have travelled, the decision was almost unavoidable. Lahore’s air quality index (AQI) has reportedly touched 600 in recent days, and on 10 November the city had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to the Swiss monitoring company IQAir.

What the PCB announced

The PCB announced the change on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. In a short statement, the board said the second Test, originally scheduled to be played in Lahore from 17 to 21 November, had been relocated to Rawalpindi "due to prevailing weather conditions".

PCB spokesperson Amir Mir confirmed the decision in a post on X, saying it had been taken "in view of increasing smog levels in Lahore". The dates of the match have not changed, and only the venue has moved.

The announcement came late on Tuesday night in Pakistan, after days of growing concern about whether Lahore could safely host a five-day match. Earlier in the day, reports had already suggested that the PCB was considering the move. By the evening, the decision was made.

The first Test of the series is already being played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, having started on Monday, 9 November and scheduled to finish on Friday, 13 November. With the second Test now moved to the same ground, both teams will simply stay in Rawalpindi for the whole series.

Why Lahore’s air forced the move

Lahore has been struggling with severe smog for the past 10 days. The thick, grey haze that settles over the city each winter is back, and this year it is worse than usual.

Smog is a mix of smoke and fog. In Lahore, it is made worse by a combination of vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, smoke from crop burning in the surrounding farmland, and brick kilns. In the cold, still air of winter, the pollution cannot rise and disperse, so it sits close to the ground — exactly where people breathe, and where cricketers run, bat and bowl.

The numbers tell the story. Lahore’s AQI has reportedly touched 600 in recent days, placing the city among the most polluted in the world. According to ESPNcricinfo, at the time of writing on 10 November, Lahore had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir. ARY News reported that the city’s AQI had crossed 301, which places it in the "hazardous" category — the highest band of the air quality scale, where the air is considered dangerous for everyone, not just people with breathing problems.

A Test match is one of the hardest events to play in bad air. Unlike a short match, a Test lasts five days, with players spending up to six or seven hours a day outdoors, running hard and breathing deeply. Poor visibility can also make it harder to see the ball, which is a safety risk for batters facing fast bowling. In recent years, smog has already forced changes to matches in the region — and this winter, it has now claimed a Test match in Pakistan.

The problem is not limited to Lahore. Severe seasonal smog affects parts of India and Pakistan between October and December every year, and the whole region has been struggling with it this month. Earlier in November, Findivoza reported on the Punjab smog crisis, when Lahore’s AQI hit 530 and Multan’s reached 719, and hospitals began filling with patients suffering from breathing problems and eye irritation.

What changes for players and fans

For the players, the change is mostly good news. Instead of moving to a new city, packing up and settling into a new hotel and a new ground, both teams will stay where they already are. They know the Rawalpindi pitch, they know the conditions, and they can prepare in the same place for a second week.

For the fans, the picture is more mixed. Supporters in Lahore who had planned to watch a Test match at the Gaddafi Stadium will now have to travel to Rawalpindi instead — a journey of around 280 kilometres — or watch on television. Supporters in Rawalpindi, on the other hand, get a second week of Test cricket at their home ground, with a chance to watch the series decided in front of them.

Rawalpindi has already shown it can host a Test match safely this week. Around 6,000 police personnel, including the Elite Force, have been deployed to provide security for the first Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the arrangements will now simply continue into the second match.

The move also means that both Tests of the series will be played on the same pitch type and in the same conditions. That can change the balance of a series: teams do not have to adjust to a new ground, and the side that has already learned how the Rawalpindi pitch behaves will carry that knowledge into the second match. Pakistan, who are in a strong position in the first Test, may be happy to stay put.

First Test: Pakistan in control at Rawalpindi

The first Test has been going Pakistan’s way. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the home side made a promising start on the opening day, reaching 281 for 5 at stumps, with four batters scoring half-centuries.

Captain Babar Azam led the way, and he was joined in the fifties by Saud Shakeel and by two debutants, Tayyab Arif and Mohammad Taha. Tayyab scored 57 on his Test debut. It was a strong showing from a batting line-up that had to work hard against a lively opening spell from the Sri Lankan bowlers before recovering well.

Pakistan went on to declare their first innings at 434 for 9, and then turned the screw with the ball. By the close of the second day, on Tuesday, 10 November, Sri Lanka had struggled to 114 for 3, still trailing by 320 runs. Kamindu Mendis was unbeaten on 40 and Dhananjaya de Silva on 22, and they will resume on the third day with their team firmly on the back foot.

Both matches in this series count towards the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27, so the points matter beyond the result of this series alone. Every Test win moves a team closer to the final, and Pakistan will want to make the most of playing both matches at home — even if the home ground is now the same one twice.

A regional problem, not a one-off

The PCB’s decision is part of a wider pattern across South Asia this winter. In India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also shifted a match because of smog, moving the India–Sri Lanka one-day international scheduled for 13 December from New Delhi to Visakhapatnam.

Delhi, like Lahore, suffers from dangerous air every winter, and the two cities often compete for the unhappy title of the world’s most polluted city. The fact that two boards in two countries have now moved matches in the same month shows that the problem is getting harder to ignore — and that cricket’s calendar, which is packed with matches through the winter, is now running directly into the worst of the smog season.

It also raises a question for the future. If smog continues to worsen, boards may have to think harder about where and when they schedule matches in November and December in Lahore, Delhi and other cities in the region. Moving a match is possible when there is a second ground available, as Rawalpindi was here. But if the smog settles over a whole region, there may not always be somewhere safe to move to.

What happens next

The first Test continues at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium until Friday, 13 November, with Pakistan in a strong position. The two teams will then have a short break before the second Test begins at the same ground on Tuesday, 17 November, running until Saturday, 21 November.

The PCB’s decision has been widely reported in Pakistan, and most of the reaction has been understanding. Nobody wants to see a Test match played in air that is classed as hazardous. The disappointment in Lahore is real — the city loves its cricket, and it rarely gets to host a Test — but the health of players and supporters has to come first.

For Lahore, the bigger question remains what happens about the smog itself. The city has been among the world’s most polluted for years, and each winter brings the same headlines, the same warnings and the same hospital queues. Moving a cricket match is a sensible short-term fix. Fixing the air will take much longer.

Frequently asked questions

Why was the second Pakistan–Sri Lanka Test moved?

The PCB moved the match because of worsening smog and poor air quality in Lahore. The board said the decision was taken due to "prevailing weather conditions" and increasing smog levels in the city.

Where will the second Test be played now?

At the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where the first Test is already being played. The dates have not changed: the match will run from 17 to 21 November 2026.

How bad is Lahore’s air right now?

Very bad. Lahore’s AQI has reportedly touched 600 in recent days, and on 10 November the city had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir. An AQI above 300 is classed as hazardous.

Is the first Test affected?

No. The first Test, which began on 9 November at Rawalpindi, is continuing as planned. Pakistan declared at 434 for 9 and reduced Sri Lanka to 114 for 3 by the end of the second day.

Does the series still count for the World Test Championship?

Yes. Both Tests are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle, so the points from each match count towards the standings.

Conclusion

The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will now be played in Rawalpindi, not Lahore, because the smog in Lahore has made the air too dangerous for international cricket. It is the right decision, but it is also a sad one for a city that loves the game.

For Pakistan, the move brings a practical advantage: the team is already in control of the first Test at Rawalpindi, and staying at the same ground for the second match suits them. For Lahore, it is another reminder of a problem that returns every winter and keeps getting worse.

Cricket can move to a cleaner city. The people of Lahore cannot. Until the air improves, the Gaddafi Stadium may have to wait for its next Test match.

Sources

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Findivoza