Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test Series 2026: Full Schedule, Dates and Venues

Pakistan will host Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series in November 2026, closing a busy home season that also features a T20I series and an ODI tri-series with England. The first Test runs from November 9 to 13 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the second Test takes place from November 17 to 21 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Both matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, so every session will matter in the race for crucial points.

The series is the red-ball climax of the Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan. The two teams first meet in the Pakistan ODI tri-series, which runs from October 18 to 31, before switching to whites. The full Pakistan home season schedule shows just how packed the calendar is for the home side this year.

Full Fixtures: Dates, Venues and Match Timings

The Test series opens in Rawalpindi on November 9. The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host the first Test from November 9 to 13, with play scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM local time. Rawalpindi has become a regular home venue for Pakistan in recent years, and the pitch there often offers something for both batters and bowlers across five days.

The action then moves to Lahore for the second and final Test. Gaddafi Stadium will stage the match from November 17 to 21, also with a 10:00 AM local start. The four-day gap between the two Tests gives both squads time to travel, recover and fine-tune their plans for different conditions. Lahore crowds are famous for their passion, and a full house at Gaddafi Stadium can lift the home team in tight moments.

Before the Tests begin, Sri Lanka will get valuable match practice in a three-day warm-up game in Islamabad from November 4 to 6. The touring side is scheduled to face a Patrons XI, which gives the visitors a proper look at local conditions before the real contest starts. Warm-up games may not count for points, but they often decide how well a touring team adapts to foreign pitches.

Fans planning to follow the series can check live scores and ball-by-ball updates on ESPNcricinfo, which has published the complete tour itinerary. The table below lists every fixture of the red-ball leg of the tour.

WTC Stakes: Two Teams Hunting Crucial Points

Neither team can afford to take this series lightly. Sri Lanka sit on a points percentage of 33.33 in the World Test Championship standings, while Pakistan are at the bottom of the table with a points percentage of just 4.63. A 2-0 series win would transform the mood in either camp, while a defeat could leave the losing side with a mountain to climb in the rest of the cycle.

For Pakistan, this is the second home series of the current WTC cycle at these very venues. The home side hosted South Africa at Rawalpindi and Lahore last year, and that series ended in a 1-1 draw. Pakistan know these grounds well, and the team management will expect the players to use that home advantage to the full. A strong showing here is vital after a difficult run that included a 0-3 series defeat in England.

Sri Lanka arrive with a new leader and fresh ideas. Kusal Mendis has taken over the Test captaincy from Dhananjaya de Silva and now leads the side in all three formats. The visitors are coming off a tough home series against India, but a new captain often brings new energy. Mendis will back his young squad, which includes two uncapped players in Eshan Malinga and Anjala Bandara, to fight hard in alien conditions.

The margins in the World Test Championship are always tight, and two-Test series leave no room for a slow start. Every session in Rawalpindi and Lahore could shape the final standings. Expect both teams to field their strongest available elevens and to play hard, positive cricket from day one.

Head-to-Head: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Test Cricket

Pakistan and Sri Lanka share one of the oldest rivalries in Asian Test cricket, with the first series between the two played in the 1981-82 season. Across 59 Tests, Pakistan have won 23 matches, Sri Lanka have won 17, and 19 matches have ended in draws. The numbers show a contest that has stayed competitive for more than four decades, with both teams enjoying dominant phases.

Recent history favours the home side. Pakistan won the last two-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2023 by a 2-0 margin, with a famous win by an innings and 222 runs in Colombo. The 2022 series in Sri Lanka ended 1-1, while Pakistan won the home series in 2019-20 by 1-0. Sri Lanka had the better of the 2017-18 series in the UAE, sweeping Pakistan 2-0, and Pakistan won 2-1 in Sri Lanka back in 2015.

The last five individual Tests tell the story of Pakistan holding the upper hand lately. Pakistan won by an innings and 222 runs in Colombo in July 2023, by four wickets in Galle in July 2023, and by 263 runs in Karachi in December 2019. Sri Lanka won by 246 runs in Galle in July 2022, while Pakistan took the other Galle Test that month by four wickets. Four wins in the last five Tests give the home side a clear psychological edge.

Sri Lanka will take heart from their 2-0 sweep in the UAE in 2017, which proved that they can beat Pakistan in Asian conditions away from home. The visitors have also named a fresh, hungry squad with a new captain, and underdogs have a way of upsetting the form book in Test cricket. The head-to-head record, compiled from complete series data, sets the stage for a fascinating battle in November.

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