England will take on Pakistan in the first Test of the two-match series at Leeds in Headingley, starting on Wednesday, August 19.
England is entering this series on the back of a 1-2 Test series defeat to New Zealand at home in June 2026. On the other hand, Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, levelled the Test series 1-1 against the West Indies away from home in August 2026.
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 Pitch Report
New ball bowlers will enjoy the lateral movement on offer in the initial 10 overs. As the game progresses to the middle overs, we can expect batters to do well. The last three games at this venue saw the chasing sides come out on top.
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 Winner Prediction
Match Winner: England
These two sides have played against each other 92 times in the longest format of the game. While England secured 30 wins, Pakistan won only 23 games. 39 encounters ended in a draw. With England having a home advantage on their side, we can expect England to come out on top quite comfortably.
