England will clash against Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series at Leeds in Headingley, starting on Wednesday, August 19.
England will enter this series after a 1-2 Test series defeat to New Zealand at home in June 2026. Meanwhile, Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, levelled the Test series 1-1 against the West Indies away from home in August 2026. This series is part of the WTC 2025-27 cycle.
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1, Match Details
Match: England vs Pakistan, Test Series 2026, Match 1
Time & Date: 3:30 PM IST, August 19 to 23
Venue: Headingley, Leeds
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1 Probable XIs
England
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Ollie Pope, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Azan Awais, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha (c), Sajid Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1 Pitch Report
The surface is expected to assist the new-ball pacers in the initial few overs. However, batters will have their fair share in the middle overs. As the game progresses to the third and fourth days, we can see bowlers dominating the proceedings.
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1 Top Picks
Harry Brook
Explosive batter Harry Brook would be aiming to start things off on a dashing note in the middle overs.
Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer was England’s leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded New Zealand Test series at home, scalping 11 wickets from four innings.
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1 Captain picks
Joe Root
Joe Root amassed 171 runs from six innings at an average of 28.5 in the recently concluded New Zealand series. However, he would be aiming to improve his numbers.
Abdullah Shafique
Abdullah Shafique smacked an exceptional century in the recent West Indies Test series. Also, he scored a half-century in the warm-up fixture vs PCCXI.
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1 Head to Head Dream11 team
Ben Duckett, Harry Brook (vc), Joe Root (c), Jamie Smith, Abdullah Shafique, Azan Awais, Saud Shakeel, Jofra Archer, Mohammad Abbas, Shoaib Bashir, Ollie Robinson
ENG vs PAK, Test Series 2026, Match 1 Grand League Dream11 team
Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Abdullah Shafique (c), Azan Awais, Saud Shakeel, Jofra Archer (vc), Mohammad Abbas, Shoaib Bashir, Ollie Robinson
