Pakistan and Sri Lanka go back to the same strip of Rawalpindi soil on Tuesday, 17 November, for the second and final Test of their World Test Championship series, and the stakes are simple: whoever wins takes the series, while another draw would leave both sides with little to show from a fortnight of hard graft. Play starts at 9:30am local time, which is 10:00am IST, with the toss half an hour earlier.
This match was meant to be in Lahore. On 10 November the Pakistan Cricket Board moved it to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium because of the smog that has hung over Lahore for more than a week, with the PCB’s statement saying the Test “has been relocated to Rawalpindi due to prevailing weather conditions”. The dates did not change. For the players it means no travel and no new surface to learn, but it also means the bowlers have to find a way to take 20 wickets on a ground where only 27 wickets fell in five days last week, and where Sri Lanka never got a second innings.
What happened in the first Test
The opening Test, played from 9 to 13 November, finished as a draw that had plenty going for it except a result. Sri Lanka won the toss and bowled first, and Pakistan’s young batting order rewarded the selectors. Two debutants made an immediate mark on the first morning: Tayyab Arif hit 57 from 51 balls and Mohammad Taha added a measured 51. Babar Azam made a brisk 50, but the innings belonged to Saud Shakeel, whose 93 carried Pakistan to 434 for 9 declared on the second day.
Sri Lanka’s reply was built around a stand that turned the game. Dhananjaya de Silva made 167 and the new captain Kusal Mendis scored a hundred in his first Test in charge, and Sri Lanka finished on 446, a lead of 12. The man who kept Pakistan in it was another debutant, the off-spinner Saqib Khan, who took seven wickets in the innings and was named Player of the Match.
Rain and bad light then took over. Play on day four was called off at 3:15pm because of the light, and on the final day Pakistan batted through to 284 for 8, with Shakeel making 97 to fall just short of a hundred for the second time in the match. Sri Lanka never batted again. With so much time lost, neither side had a realistic route to victory.
Squads for the second Test
No changes to either squad had been announced at the time of writing (15 November). Pakistan’s current 16-man group is the one the PCB confirmed on 7 November, when four players were added to the original selection and Ali Usman and Abdullah Fazal were released.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Ali Shabbir, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Tayyab Arif, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas, Saqib Khan, Saud Shakeel.
Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (captain), Anjala Bandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Asitha Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Keshara Nuwantha, Milan Rathnayaka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Lahiru Udara. Pathum Nissanka was named in the original touring party pending a return to full fitness; Lahiru Udara opened the batting in the first Test.
Pakistan’s selection is worth a moment. Shan Masood, the former Test captain, is not here, and neither are the spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who bowled Pakistan to a home series win over England in 2024. Abdullah Shafique was left out after a lean tour of England. This is a deliberately young side, and the first Test suggested the selectors have found something in Arif, Taha and Saqib.
Probable XIs
These are our probable line-ups based on the first Test and the squads, not confirmed teams. Both sides name their XIs at the toss.
- Pakistan (probable): Azan Awais, Tayyab Arif, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Taha, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Arafat Minhas, Saqib Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Aamer Jamal or Mohammad Suleman.
- Sri Lanka (probable): Lahiru Udara, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Milan Rathnayaka, Sonal Dinusha, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya.
The big question for Sri Lanka is balance. They went into the first Test with a seam-heavy attack, and Pakistan’s batters were rarely troubled for long. With Saqib showing what spin can do on this surface by the third day, Prabath Jayasuriya, their most successful spinner of recent years, has a strong case to play.
Pitch and weather
Rawalpindi has a split personality in Test cricket. In December 2022 England made 657 here, the highest Test total at the ground. Since then the venue has produced results almost every time: Bangladesh won here in August 2024, Pakistan beat England on a dry, spin-friendly surface in October 2024, and South Africa won in October 2025. Last week’s pitch sat somewhere in the middle. It was good for batting for three days, then began to help the spinners, which is exactly what Saqib exploited.
The weather is the bigger worry. Rawalpindi was sunny at around 22°C on 15 November, well clear of the smog that forced the move from Lahore, but this is late autumn in northern Pakistan. Sunset is shortly after 5pm, and the scheduled close is 4:30pm local, so any morning haze or cloud quickly eats into the day. The first Test lost large chunks to rain and bad light, and both captains will know that a positive result probably needs an early declaration or a fast scoring rate at some point.
Head-to-head record
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have now met 60 times in Tests. Before this series, ESPNcricinfo’s head-to-head records showed Pakistan with 23 wins, Sri Lanka with 17 and 19 draws; last week’s result makes it 20 draws (as of 15 November 2026).
Rawalpindi has not been a happy hunting ground for anyone in this fixture. The first Test between the two sides at the ground, in December 2019, was the match that brought Test cricket back to Pakistan after ten years. Bad weather hit all of the first four days and the fourth was washed out completely. It ended in a draw, with Sri Lanka declaring on 308 for 6 (Dhananjaya de Silva 102 not out) and Pakistan reaching 252 for 2, with Abid Ali making 109 not out on debut and Babar Azam 102 not out. Two matches, two draws, three hundreds for de Silva and Babar between them across both games: the ground has tended to reward patience.
What is at stake
Both teams arrived needing a win. Pakistan have had a rough run in this World Test Championship cycle; Wisden noted before the series that they had lost seven of their nine Tests in it. Sri Lanka, according to CricketNews.com before the first Test, were seventh in the standings with one win from six. A draw keeps both stuck. A win would at least give the winner something to build on before the final stretch of the cycle.
For Babar, there is also the matter of leadership. He is back in charge of a side that has lost several senior players, and a home series win, however small, would give this new group belief. Kusal Mendis, meanwhile, has started his captaincy with a century and a lead; turning that into a Test win away from home would be a significant statement.
For Indian fans following the World Test Championship, this series runs alongside India’s Test tour of New Zealand, which starts in Wellington on 19 November. Our NZ vs IND 1st Test preview has the squads and pitch report for that one.
Where to watch in India
There is no TV broadcast of this series in India. According to Wisden and Outlook India, the matches stream live on the Veto app. In Pakistan the series is on PTV Sports and streams on Tapmad, Tamasha and the PCB Live app.
Quick facts
- Match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test (World Test Championship)
- Dates: Tuesday 17 November to Saturday 21 November 2026
- Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (moved from Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, because of smog)
- Start time: 9:30am PKT / 10:00am IST; toss 9:00am PKT / 9:30am IST
- Series: level after the first Test was drawn
- Captains: Babar Azam (Pakistan), Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka)
FAQ
Why was the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test moved from Lahore?
The PCB moved it on 10 November because of heavy smog and poor air quality in Lahore. The dates stayed the same.
What time does PAK vs SL 2nd Test start in India?
Each day’s play begins at 10:00am IST, with the toss on day one at 9:30am IST.
Who won the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka?
No one. It was drawn in Rawalpindi after rain and bad light, with Saqib Khan named Player of the Match for his seven wickets on debut.
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