Two sides under pressure as far as their standings in the World Test Championship table are concerned will meet each other in a key series. While the final result may not do much in the race to the WTC final, the series still holds importance for Pakistan and England.
England (ENG) are entering a new era after Ben Stokes’ retirement and Brendon McCullum stepping down as the Test coach. Joe Root has been given the captaincy of the team once more as the hosts look to get back to their best in the longest format of the game.
Pakistan (PAK) are coming into the series on the back of their massive win over West Indies in the second Test. The sub-continent team was able to draw the series 1-1 and get themselves off the bottom of the WTC points table. Captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the contest, with Salman Ali Agha to lead Pakistan. The batter was injured while batting in the tour game recently.
Match: England vs Pakistan, 1st Test
Date and Time: 19th to 23rd August 2026, 3:30 PM IST
Venue: Headingley, Leeds
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv App
Leeds is expected to be overcast for most of the game, and the captain who wins the toss will want to bat first. The first two innings will be the best to bat, with the average first innings score being above 300. It will get difficult to bat as the game goes on, and the spinners will also come into play, with the pitch favoring the bowlers more.
Matches -92
England – 30
Pakistan – 23
Drawn Games – 39
Matches – 10
England – 6
Pakistan – 1
Drawn Games- 3
England – Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Joe Root (C), Harry BrookOllie Pope, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
Pakistan – Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan MasoodSalman Ali Agha (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Sajid Khan.
Best batter – Joe Root
Joe Root has a good record against Pakistan with 1487 runs from 18 games AT an average of 53. The right-handed batter has also hit two centuries and seven fifties. If we speak about his numbers at home, Root has scored 723 runs at home against the Pakistani side with a best of 254.
Best bowler – Mohammad Abbas
Mohammad Abbas will be a dangerous bowler to face in these conditions. The 36-year-old has played county cricket in England and will be a handful if the conditions are overcast. He has picked up 118 wickets from 30 games and also taken 15 scalps from five games against the English side.
England suffered a defeat in their last Test series against New Zealand and will be keen to set the record straight against an unpredictable and inconsistent Pakistan side. Familiarity with playing at home and the overall conditions in Leeds could see England hold an advantage over Pakistan in the opening Test match.
