Pakistan Test Squad vs Sri Lanka 2026: All 14 Players, 3 New Caps and the Patron's XI
Pakistan named 14 players for the Sri Lanka Tests on 24 October, with Babar Azam captain and 3 new batters. See every name, the Patron's XI and the Test dates.
Pakistan named a 14-player Test squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka on Saturday, 24 October 2026, with Babar Azam as captain and three uncapped batters: Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman. Two more fast bowlers will join after a three-day warm-up match that ends on 6 November.
We read the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release on 24 October. Below are all 14 names, the 13-player Patron's XI for the warm-up, the series dates, and what each new player did in domestic cricket this season. The Tests count for the ICC World Test Championship, where Pakistan need points badly.
Babar Azam leads a 14-player squad with three new faces
The Pakistan Test squad vs Sri Lanka has 14 players, led by Babar Azam. Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman are the uncapped batters. The PCB calls it an initial squad, because two fast bowlers will be added after the warm-up match.
| Player | Note in the PCB release |
|---|---|
| Babar Azam | Captain |
| Abdullah Fazal | Kept his place |
| Ali Usman | Left-arm spinner |
| Arafat Minhas | Kept his place |
| Azan Awais | Kept his place |
| Mohammad Abbas | Kept his place |
| Mohammad Ghazi Ghori | Wicketkeeper, kept his place |
| Mohammad Suleman | New, right-handed batter |
| Mohammad Taha | New, left-handed batter |
| Razaullah | Kept his place |
| Saad Baig | Wicketkeeper, kept his place |
| Salman Ali Agha | Batter |
| Sameer Minhas | New, right-handed batter |
| Saud Shakeel | Kept his place |
Two wicketkeepers are in the 14. The PCB release names both Mohammad Ghazi Ghori and Saad Baig as keepers, but it does not say which of them will keep in the first Test.
Saad Baig is the man to watch here. He made his ODI debut only last week, and our report on Saad Baig's ODI debut in Rawalpindi has his 39 runs and two catches. Now he is in the Test squad and captains the Patron's XI too.
Taha, Suleman and Sameer earned their call-ups with runs
All three new players scored heavily in the President's Trophy Grade-I, Pakistan's first-class tournament for departments. Mohammad Taha leads the run chart with 730. Mohammad Suleman has 652 and Sameer Minhas has 405 in his first season.
We checked the PCB batting table for the tournament on 24 October. These are the numbers it showed after all seven league rounds.
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs | Best | Average | Hundreds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Taha | Pakistan Television | 7 | 730 | 225 | 66.36 | 3 |
| Mohammad Suleman | Kingsmen Academy | 7 | 652 | 182 | 54.33 | 3 |
| Sameer Minhas | SNGPL | 7 | 405 | 96 | 40.50 | 0 |
Mohammad Taha is 26 and bats left-handed. Suleman is 28. Sameer is 20, and the PCB notes he came through the Pakistan Under-19 side before his first first-class season. The full run list, with every other contender, is in our look at the Pakistan stars in the President's Trophy Grade-I.
One name is missing. Mohammad Tayyab Arif of Kingsmen Academy scored 727 runs, only three fewer than Taha, at a strike rate of 88.66. He is not in the Test 14, but he is in the Patron's XI, so a strong three days could still help him.
The Patron's XI plays Sri Lanka from 4 to 6 November
A 13-player PCB Patron's XI, captained by Saad Baig, plays Sri Lanka's Test squad over three days at the Islamabad Club from 4 to 6 November. Six members of the Test squad play in it, plus five fast bowlers.
The six from the Test squad are Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha and Sameer Minhas. The five pacers are Mohammad Salman, Shoaib Akhtar Jnr, Ali Shabbir, Saqib Khan and Ubaid Shah. Mohammad Tayyab Arif completes the 13.
- 4 to 6 November: the three-day match at the Islamabad Club.
- 6 November: the selectors pick two pacers from the Patron's XI.
- Those two join the 14, which makes a 16-player squad.
- 9 November: the first Test starts in Rawalpindi.
So the warm-up is a real trial for the five fast bowlers. Two of them will leave Islamabad as Test players.
The first Test starts on 9 November in Rawalpindi
The series has two Tests. The first is at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 9 to 13 November. The second is at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, from 17 to 21 November. Both count for the World Test Championship.
| Match | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Three-day match, Patron's XI v Sri Lanka | 4 to 6 November | Islamabad Club |
| First Test | 9 to 13 November | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium |
| Second Test | 17 to 21 November | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
Ticket prices, umpires and channels were set out earlier with the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test series dates and venues. Sri Lanka picked their side earlier, and the Sri Lanka Test squad of 15 is led by Kusal Mendis.
Pakistan need World Test Championship points from this series
Pakistan were last of nine teams in the World Test Championship table when we read it on 10 October 2026, on 4.63 per cent after a points deduction. Two home Tests are a rare chance to climb.
A Test win is worth 12 points and a draw 4, and teams are ranked by the share of available points they have won. The table and the deduction are explained on our WTC points table page. Sri Lanka were seventh on 33.33 per cent on the same day, so both sides arrive needing wins.
Common questions
Who is the captain of Pakistan's Test team against Sri Lanka?
Babar Azam. The PCB release of 24 October 2026 says he continues as Test captain.
Who are the new players in Pakistan's Test squad?
Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman, all batters. None has played a Test.
Why are there only 14 players?
The PCB will add two fast bowlers from the Patron's XI after the warm-up match ends on 6 November, which makes 16.
When does the first Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test start?
On 9 November 2026 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test starts on 17 November in Lahore.
Is Mohammad Tayyab Arif in the Test squad?
No. He scored 727 first-class runs this season but is only in the Patron's XI for the warm-up.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the PCB release "Pakistan Test squad announced for upcoming two-match WTC series against Sri Lanka", dated Lahore, 24 October 2026, on the PCB website on 24 October 2026. Runs, averages and teams come from the PCB batting table for the President's Trophy Grade-I 2026/27, read the same day. The World Test Championship figure is from our own reading of the ICC table on 10 October 2026 and may have changed. The PCB did not say which players dropped out from the last Test squad, or why two keepers were picked, so we do not guess.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
