Pakistan’s tour of England has gone from provisional planning to genuine crisis inside a fortnight. The tourists head into the third Test 2-0 down after being beaten by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and then by 194 runs at Lord’s, and that record has already cost two members of the coaching staff their jobs.
Babar Azam still has the captaincy, but almost everything around him has changed. Cricket Insider UK runs through what both squads looked like at the start of the series, how the first two Tests went, and exactly who has come in and gone out for the third match.
Pakistan Tour of England 2026 Squads Overview
Both squads started the series with a mix of returning experience and fresh faces, and the table below shows how each touring party was built before a ball was bowled. You can find the full schedule and venues if you need the fixture details alongside this.
| Detail | England | Pakistan (originally named) |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Joe Root | Babar Azam |
| Squad Size | 16 (first two Tests) | 17 |
| Uncapped Players | 0 | 4 |
| Notable Absentee | Jacob Bethell (knee injury) | None reported |
| Wicketkeeper Options | Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Ollie Pope | Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori |
(Source: ECB, PCB)
Pakistan’s Squad Overhaul Ahead of the Third Test
Pakistan have released seven players for the series decider, one of the biggest mid series reshuffles England have faced from a touring side in recent memory. The coaching staff has changed too.
| Change | Players |
|---|---|
| Released | Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Khurram Shahzad |
| Added | Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Imran, Razaullah |
(Source: PCB)
Ayub, Shafique and Minhas all bring previous international experience, while Baig, Imran Jnr, Imran and Razaullah come in uncapped. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have left their roles, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke taking interim charge.
Updated squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
(Source: PCB)
With Rizwan gone, the gloves likely go to Saad Baig or Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, though nothing’s confirmed yet.
Pakistan Tour of England 2026 Squads and Playing XI
Neither side had confirmed a starting eleven before the series began, since the first ball wasn’t bowled until 19 August, but both touring parties were locked in by then. Here’s the squad list each team travelled with originally.
England squad: Joe Root (captain), 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
Original Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Saud Shakeel, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Sajid Khan, Ali Usman, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Ubaid Shah
(Source: ECB, PCB)
England Playing XI for the Pakistan Test Series
This was Cricket Insider UK’s projection ahead of the series, built on squad balance and current form rather than any confirmed team sheet.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Ben Duckett | Opening batter |
| Emilio Gay | Opening batter |
| Jordan Cox | Batter |
| Joe Root | Batter, captain |
| Harry Brook | Batter |
| Dan Lawrence | Batting all-rounder |
| Jamie Smith | Wicketkeeper-batter |
| Brydon Carse | Fast bowler |
| Gus Atkinson | Fast bowler |
| Shoaib Bashir | Off-spinner |
| Jofra Archer | Fast bowler |
(Source: Cricket Insider UK projection, based on squad selection)
Pakistan Playing XI for the Third Test
Here’s Cricket Insider UK’s projected XI for the third Test, built from the squad Pakistan have actually travelled with rather than the one they started the tour with. Rizwan’s exit leaves the gloves open, and Pakistan haven’t confirmed who takes them.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Shan Masood | Opening batter |
| Abdullah Shafique | Opening batter |
| Babar Azam | Batter, captain |
| Saud Shakeel | Middle-order batter |
| Azan Awais | Top-order batter |
| Saim Ayub | Batting all-rounder |
| Saad Baig | Wicketkeeper-batter |
| Muhammad Imran | All-rounder |
| Sajid Khan | Off-spinner |
| Mohammad Abbas | Pace bowler |
| Mohammad Ali | Pace bowler |
(Source: Cricket Insider UK projection, based on the PCB’s confirmed squad for the third Test)
Ubaid Shah, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Razaullah, Abdullah Fazal and Arafat Minhas give the selectors a genuinely deep bench to choose from, and Edgbaston’s conditions on the day will likely decide whether Pakistan lean towards extra pace or an extra spinner.
How the First Two Tests Went
Pakistan’s batting has been the story of the series so far, and the numbers explain why the selectors felt they had to act before Edgbaston. The tourists failed to pass 200 in any of their four completed innings across the first two matches.
- England won the opener at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs
- England followed up with a 194 run win at Lord’s
- Pakistan sit bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings, with a points percentage of just 16.67% after eight matches
(Source: ECB, ICC)
The bowling attack has held up better than the batting through both defeats, which is part of why so many of the changes for the third Test have landed on the top and middle order rather than the seam bowlers.
Key Players to Watch in the England vs Pakistan Series
A few individual stories now sit at the heart of this series, and they go well beyond who wins the toss at Edgbaston.
- Joe Root leads permanently for the first time since 2022 and has already won both Tests as captain on home soil.
- Babar Azam returns to the armband under real pressure, and Pakistan’s collapse to 2-0 down has only turned the spotlight up further.
- Jordan Cox took an unexpected chance at number three after Bethell’s injury, and how he’s handled it will shape England’s order for years.
- Saim Ayub comes back into the side with bat and ball both in his locker, and Pakistan need him to offer more than just a like for like swap.
- Mike Hesson takes interim charge of a Test side for the first time on this tour, having previously worked with Pakistan’s white-ball setup.
For more context on how these two sides have fared against each other historically, the head to head Test record is worth a look.
Pakistan Rebuild Squad and Coaching Staff After Falling 2-0 to England
Pakistan arrive at the third Test needing a response rather than just a result, with seven players out, four uncapped faces in, and a new coaching team taking charge for the first time. England, by contrast, head into Edgbaston with an unchanged squad and a captain who has won every Test he’s led on home soil. If you want to catch every ball of the remaining Test, check the live streaming guide for broadcast details across every region.
