Pakistan vs England: Second Test Preview — Lord’s 2026

Pakistan have won their last two Tests at Lord’s. England have won their last four. Babar Azam returns from injury. Joe Root is furious about something that has nothing to do with cricket. The second Test begins on 27 August and the series remains alive.

The innings-and-103-run loss at Headingley was as one-sided as Test cricket gets. Pakistan were dismissed twice in 86 overs. Their bowling attack conceded half-centuries to four of England’s top six without forcing a single one of them past 91. The only genuine positive from that match was Ali Usman’s five-wicket haul, which at least suggested the pitch will turn if Pakistan can stay in the game long enough to use it.

Lord’s offers a different surface, a different atmosphere, and — with Babar back — a different Pakistan batting lineup. Whether that is enough to change the result is the question the next five days will answer.

Pakistan’s Record at Lord’s vs England

Pakistan have a stronger record at Lord’s than most people remember going into this match.

Year	Result
2016	Pakistan won
2018	Pakistan won
Last 5 Tests at Lord’s vs England	5 wins PAK, 4 wins ENG, 6 draws overall in 15 Tests

Pakistan have won five and lost four of their 15 Tests against England at this ground. Their last two visits both ended in Pakistani victories. England’s last Test defeat at Lord’s came against Australia in the 2023 Ashes, and they have won each of their last four at the ground since. Both streaks end at Lord’s this week — the question is whose.

Pakistan’s Lord’s Records: The Numbers Worth Knowing

Top run-scorers for Pakistan at Lord’s:

Batter	Runs	Matches
Inzamam-ul-Haq	384	4
Mohsin Khan	335	—
Mohammad Yousuf	292	—

Mohammad Yousuf holds the highest individual score by a Pakistan batter at Lord’s — 202 in a single innings. He also has his name on the Lord’s Honours Board, alongside Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah, who took ten wickets in the 2016 Test.

Top wicket-takers for Pakistan at Lord’s:

Bowler	Wickets	Matches
Mohammad Amir	18	4
Waqar Younis	17	3
Wasim Akram	12	4

Mohammad Amir leads Pakistan’s wicket-takers at Lord’s with 18 in four matches. That kind of sustained pace bowling performance at this ground is the template Mohammad Abbas needs to follow this week.

Pitch and Conditions

Lord’s received an ICC demerit point after the New Zealand Test in June — the shortest Test at the ground in 140 years — which means the groundskeeping team will have prepared the flattest surface they can manage. Anything other than a batting-friendly pitch would be a surprise given that context.

Overcast conditions are possible across the five days, particularly early in the match. The Lord’s surface tends to offer more to pace bowlers in the morning sessions and flattens out as the day progresses, making toss decisions important. Historically, the team batting first wins 36 percent of the time at this ground — a figure that points toward batting conditions being generally favourable rather than decisive.

Shoaib Bashir did not bowl a single ball in England’s nine-wicket win over New Zealand at Lord’s in June, which raises questions about how much Ali Usman’s spin will contribute at this venue compared to Headingley. The surface is unlikely to offer the assistance Usman found in the worn fourth-day conditions at Leeds.

Babar Azam Returns: Pakistan’s Probable XI

Azan Awais is the most likely player to make way for Babar Azam‘s return, with Abdullah Shafique expected to stay in the middle order rather than move up to open despite his form at Headingley.

Pakistan probable XI:

Position	Player
1	Imam-ul-Haq
2	Shan Masood
3	Abdullah Shafique
4	Babar Azam (c)
5	Saud Shakeel
6	Salman Agha
7	Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
8	Ubaid Shah / Khurram Shahzad
9	Ali Usman
10	Mohammad Abbas
11	Mohammad Ali

Babar was in solid form in the Caribbean, making 193 runs across two matches in the 1-1 series draw with West Indies, and has been dismissed for less than 47 just once in his last seven innings. His last Test century was in December 2022. Lord’s, with his name on the opposition’s radar and a series to save, is the occasion for a tenth.

Ubaid Shah is a candidate to replace Khurram Shahzad in the seam attack after the latter’s inconsistency at Headingley.

England Probable XI and the Carse Situation

England name an unchanged XI from Headingley, with Brydon Carse out of the equation regardless following a nightclub incident in Derby that prompted Joe Root to publicly state he was “really hacked off” ahead of a Test match at Lord’s.

England probable XI:

Position	Player
1	Emilio Gay
2	Ben Duckett
3	Jordan Cox
4	Joe Root (c)
5	Harry Brook
6	Dan Lawrence
7	Jamie Smith (wk)
8	Gus Atkinson
9	Jofra Archer
10	Ollie Robinson
11	Josh Tongue

Root needs 168 Tests to draw level with Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, and to pass Stuart Broad’s England record. Only Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson have played more Tests than where Root stands this week.

Ollie Robinson needs nine more wickets to reach 100 in Tests, having taken 15 at 10.46 in two appearances this summer. He will be motivated to reach that landmark at cricket’s most famous ground.

Head to Head: Last 5 Tests Between England and Pakistan

Result	Date
England won by innings and 103 runs	Aug 2026
Pakistan won by 9 wickets	Oct 2024
Pakistan won by 152 runs	Oct 2024
England won by innings and 47 runs	Oct 2024
England won by 8 wickets	Dec 2022

Pakistan won two of the last three meetings before Headingley. The recent head-to-head is more balanced than the current series scoreline suggests.

Key Players to Watch

Babar Azam (PAK) — Returns after missing Headingley with a finger injury. Pakistan’s most experienced batter, nine Test centuries, averaging 43.68. His presence changes how England plan their bowling attack across five days.

Mohammad Abbas (PAK) — His county experience with Hampshire and Nottinghamshire makes him the most Lord’s-prepared bowler in Pakistan’s attack. He is too good a bowler to be as ineffective as he was at Headingley across two consecutive Tests.

Joe Root (ENG) — Playing his 168th Test, drawing level with Ponting and Waugh. Motivated, angry about off-field distractions, and at a ground where he has built some of his best innings. Dangerous combination.

Jamie Smith (ENG) — His first 1,000 Test runs came serenely but the next 423 across 19 innings have been inconsistent. Lord’s, where he played a crucial 50-plus innings in the 2024 win over India, is the ground where he needs to rediscover that form.

Jofra Archer (ENG) — Transformed as a new-ball threat in Pakistan’s second innings at Headingley having shaken off the rust from the Hundred. He arrives at Lord’s already in rhythm.

Series Context

A Pakistan win at Lord’s levels the series at 1-1 and makes Edgbaston a decider. An England win gives them the series and their first Test series victory since New Zealand in December 2024.

Pakistan’s last series win in England was 1996. Their last two Tests at Lord’s ended in Pakistani victories. History at this specific ground gives them more reason for confidence than the Headingley result alone suggests.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the second Test between England and Pakistan start? The second Test begins on 27 August 2026 at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.

Is Babar Azam playing the second Test at Lord’s? Yes. Babar Azam is expected to return after missing the first Test at Headingley with a finger injury. He is confirmed in Pakistan’s probable XI.

What is Pakistan’s record at Lord’s against England? Pakistan have won five and lost four of 15 Tests against England at Lord’s. Their last two Tests at the ground, in 2016 and 2018, both ended in Pakistani victories.

Who holds the highest individual score for Pakistan at Lord’s? Mohammad Yousuf scored 202 in a single innings at Lord’s, the highest score by a Pakistan batter at the ground.

Who are Pakistan’s leading wicket-takers at Lord’s? Mohammad Amir leads with 18 wickets in four matches, followed by Waqar Younis with 17 in three and Wasim Akram with 12 in four.

What is the pitch likely to be like at Lord’s for this Test? Following the ICC demerit point for an unsatisfactory surface in the New Zealand Test in June, Lord’s is expected to prepare a flat, batting-friendly pitch. Overcast conditions are possible across the five days.