The Pakistan Cricket Board announced changes to the schedule of the Pakistan Super League due to extreme temperatures across the subcontinent.
The PCB announced that Thursday's match between Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings, which was set to take place in Multan, will now be played in Lahore.
Also, the afternoon match on May 10 between Multan and Quetta Gladiators has been pushed back by a day, and will now be an evening game.
According to the PCB, the decision has been made "keeping in mind the operational ease and recent heatwave in certain parts of the country".
Playing cricket, even T20s, during this time of the year in the subcontinent is fraught with danger. Temperatures easily surge past 40° Celsius and even evenings don't offer a lot of respite.
Currently, cities like Lahore and Multan are enduring peak highs above 40° Celsius and the extreme weather is likely to persist for some time.
The other reason for the change in schedule, according to reports, is the departure of Indian production crew who had been helping broadcast the PSL but had to leave at short notice following worsening diplomatic and political relations between the countries.
The situation is similar in adjoining India, where the weather department issued warnings of heatwaves across the country.
Over the weekend, parts of India recorded temperatures up to 45° Celsius. The Indian Meteorological Department issued alerts for heatwaves across the nation.
With the monsoon season still some time away, the weather is likely to be unforgiving for some time.
The ongoing Indian Premier League has already been impacted by the rising mercury.
During the day match last weekend in Ahmedabad between Gujarat and Delhi, veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma broke down playing in 40° heat. Other players also struggled during the match.
Organisers had made preparations for the match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, installing mist fans, providing sun protection, free water and mobile medical support. However, it was the players who bore the brunt of the heat.
Evening matches are still manageable, which is possibly why there is no real push for changes in schedule of the IPL.
