
England and Pakistan are set to begin a three-match Test series on Wednesday, with the opening match scheduled at Headingley in Leeds. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle and will run until 13 September.
England are in seventh place in the WTC standings with a points percentage of 24.36, whereas Pakistan are in eighth place with a PCT of 22.22. England will be led by skipper Joe Root, whereas Salman Ali Agha will captain the Pakistan side, who will miss regular skipper Babar Azam due to an injury.
The first Test will be played from 19 to 23 August at Headlingley in Leeds, and that will be followed by the second at Lord’s from 27 to 31 August. The third and final Test is scheduled to take place from 9 to 13 September at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
England’s Test squad includes established batters Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, and Ollie Pope, along with wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith. The bowling group includes Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir, among others.
Pakistan’s squad features stand-in skipper Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq, along with the likes of Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad and Sajid Khan.
Regular skipper Babar Azam will be unavailable for the first Test after he sustained a right hand injury during Pakistan's practice match against Professional County Club Select XI last week.
England and Pakistan have locked horns in a total of 92 Tests to date. England hold the upper hand, having won 30 matches compared to Pakistan’s 23 wins. A total of 39 Tests between these two teams have ended in draws.
The last time England and Pakistan locked horns in a Test series was in October 2024 in Pakistan, wherein the hosts won the three-match series 2-1.
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (In IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19-23 August, 2026 | England vs Pakistan 1st Test | Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds | 3.30 PM |
| 27-31 August, 2026 | England vs Pakistan 2nd Test | Lord's Cricket Ground, London | 3.30 PM |
| 9-13 September, 2026 | England vs Pakistan 3rd Test | Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham | 3.30 PM |
Cricket fans in India can catch the LIVE broadcast of the England vs Pakistan Test series on the Sony Sports Network TV channels. Live streaming will also be available on the Sony LIV app and website on a subscription basis.
England (for first two Tests): Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
Pakistan: Babar Azam * (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
Note: Babar Azam will miss the first Test due to a hand injury. Salman Ali Agha will lead the side in place of Babar.
PN Vishnu is a contributor with the LiveMint Sports team, where he primarily covers cricket, football and other major sporting events. A passionate sports journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, Vishnu has been an ardent follower of sports for more than 10 years. While he enjoys covering a wide range of disciplines, his biggest sporting passions remain cricket and football. He is also a devoted supporter of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and Manchester United in English football. <br><br> Vishnu pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, in 2016 and graduated in 2017. Since then, he has built an extensive career in sports journalism, working with leading media organisations including Deccan Chronicle and Firstpost. In 2025, he worked for CricXtasy for six months before joining LiveMint in February 2026. <br><br> Over the years, he has reported extensively on marquee sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL). His reporting has also provided opportunities to interact with some of the game's leading personalities, including India cricketers Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhruv Jurel. <br><br> Away from the newsroom, Vishnu enjoys unwinding with books, discovering new music and binge-watching television series.
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