Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to bowl first in the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, asking Babar Azam’s new-look side to bat first on the opening morning of the two-match series. Pakistan answered the challenge by handing Test debuts to four players, underlining the scale of the rebuild in the home side’s red-ball squad as the World Test Championship series got under way.
Sri Lanka win the toss and bowl first
Mendis called correctly at the toss and wasted no time in putting Pakistan in to bat, backing his seamers to make the new ball count on the first morning in Rawalpindi. The decision means Pakistan’s openers face the new ball first up on a surface that has been described as batting-friendly, particularly over the first three days, so the early overs could set the tone for the whole Test.
Play began at 9:30am PKT, with lunch scheduled from 11:30am to 12:10pm, tea from 2:10pm to 2:30pm and the close of play at 4:30pm. Rain has been forecast for Thursday, the fourth day of the match, which makes a strong first-innings total even more valuable for both sides. The first Test runs from 9 to 13 November, with the second Test of the series scheduled for 17 to 21 November at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Four debuts in Pakistan’s new-look XI
Pakistan’s XI for the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test is: Azan Awais, Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Babar Azam (captain), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Arafat Minhas, Razaullah, Mohammad Abbas and Saqib Khan. Of those eleven, four men — Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Arafat Minhas and Saqib Khan — are playing their first Test, a remarkable show of faith in youth for a home series opener.
Babar Azam leads the side, with Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha providing the experienced middle order around him and Ghazi Ghori taking the gloves. Mohammad Abbas leads the pace attack alongside Razaullah and debutant Saqib Khan, while Arafat Minhas and Salman Agha provide the spin options. Aamer Jamal, who returned to the squad ahead of the series, misses out on the playing XI, as do Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman.
Sri Lanka name three seamers and leave out Jayasuriya
Sri Lanka’s XI is: Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis (captain), Sonal Dinusha, Milan Rathnayake, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka. Mendis, newly appointed as captain, leads a side built around the experience of Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva in the batting order.
The visitors have gone with a three-man pace attack of Kumara, Asitha Fernando and Madushanka, with Sonal Dinusha and Dhananjaya de Silva sharing the spin duties. Notably, frontline spinner Prabath Jayasuriya has been left out of the XI, a bold call on a Rawalpindi pitch expected to favour the bat early in the match.
WTC points and recent history on the line
Both teams need the points. Pakistan sit bottom of the World Test Championship table, while Sri Lanka are seventh, and a home series win would be a major step towards repairing Pakistan’s campaign in the 2025–27 cycle. The home side also carry the confidence of recent white-ball success against the same opponents, having beaten Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series final in Rawalpindi on 31 October by three wickets.
Pakistan also won the last Test series between the two sides, taking a 2–0 win in Sri Lanka in 2023. Salman Agha, who struck 107 in Pakistan’s 37-run win in the first ODI of the recent series, is again central to the home side’s plans, this time in the longer format.
Match details
The match is being played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 9 to 13 November 2026, as part of Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan and the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27. Adrian Holdstock of South Africa and Rod Tucker of Australia are the on-field umpires, with Allahuddien Paleker of South Africa as the TV umpire and Dean Cosker of England as the match referee. The second Test follows at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from 17 to 21 November.
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