Pakistan and Sri Lanka will not travel to Colombo for their second test match and stay put at their current location.
Due to the logistical challenges caused by Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic and political crisis, the organizers have been forced to move the second cricket test between the two from Colombo to Galle, the venue of the current test match.
Cricket Sri Lanka announced their decision today, the third day of the first test, after deciding not to take any chances with conceivable political protests in the capital. The protests are expected to devolve as Sri Lanka’s Parliament is set to choose a new President later this week.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, the acting President of the country declared a state of emergency after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled abroad and resigned after mass protests over the country’s economic collapse.
The second test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was scheduled to start at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo next Sunday. The hotel that had been set to host both cricket teams is close to the Presidential Palace that has now been taken over by protesters.
Keeping the safety of the players at the forefront, both teams will now remain Galle after the first test, which remains poised, to play out the series.
Cricket has offered a much-needed distraction to locals who are experiencing Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence, with severe shortages of essential items including fuel, cooking gas, and medicines.
