When it comes to cricket stadiums in International Cricket Council (ICC) member countries and around the world, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has no dearth of historic and grand grounds. From Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to big cities like Rawalpindi, Karachi and Multan, there are excellent venues of international level, where all the big teams of the world have played matches. But despite all this, due to the current weather and environmental conditions, a strange and serious crisis has arisen in front of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The situation is such that despite the abundance of grounds in the country, the Pakistan national cricket team is forced to play all the matches of its upcoming important Test series on only one ground in the country. The main reason behind this unique and forced decision is none other than the severe pollution, smog and lack of clear sky in the plains of North India and Pakistan. Why was there a need to play the entire series on the same ground? Smog and pollution have become the biggest villains. In this period of November and December, like North India, Punjab province of Pakistan and many other big cities get hit by dangerous air pollution, haze and dense smog. The level of visibility falls so much that the players standing on the field cannot see the ball properly, and the biggest thing is that continuously running and breathing in this poisonous air can prove fatal for the health of the players. In the past few years, many domestic and international matches had to be canceled or halted midway due to smog at traditional Test venues like Lahore and Faisalabad. Keeping in mind the health and safety standards of the players and the technical constraints of broadcasting, this time the PCB and the concerned authorities have clearly refused to take this risk, due to which only one safe and less polluted stadium has been selected for the entire Test series. There will be a deep impact on the fitness of the players and the excitement of the match, experts expressed concern. Cricket experts and former players have expressed their concern about playing the entire Test series continuously on the same pitch and same ground. On one hand, playing matches on the same pitch for five consecutive days causes the pitch to break down quickly, giving spin bowlers excessive and uneven bounce, while on the other hand, there is a risk of the pitches getting damaged due to the continuous heavy workload. Apart from this, having consecutive matches at the same venue can also reduce the enthusiasm of the domestic audience, because cricket fans from different cities do not get a chance to see their favorite team playing on their home ground. From the players' point of view, continuously living in the same environment and routine of the same hotel-stadium can cause mental fatigue, due to which the possibility of having an adverse effect on their performance cannot be ruled out. Big future challenges before PCB, will Pakistan cricket be able to overcome the environmental crisis? This entire incident is not limited to just the inconvenience of a Test series, rather it points towards a huge threat looming over the sports world due to global warming and increasing air pollution. If the situation continues to be like this in the coming years, it will become almost impossible to organize international cricket in the winter months in Pakistan and other countries of the subcontinent. The PCB and other sports administrators will now have to find long-term solutions in this direction, ranging from modern indoor practice facilities to environment-friendly policies. At present, despite all the administrative constraints and environmental challenges, the eyes of cricket lovers are fixed on how the Pakistan team performs as per their strategy on this one ground and whether they are able to overcome this challenge and achieve great success in the series.
