Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Playing XI: Sri Lanka Bowl First, 3 Pakistan Debuts in Rawalpindi

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl in the first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday 9 November 2026. Babar Azam leads a Pakistan XI with three players named as uncapped in the squad releases: Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Tayyab Arif and Saqib Khan. Tayyab made 57 off 51 balls in his first Test innings.

We read the toss, the XI and the scorecard on the International Cricket Council (ICC) match centre during the day. Play was still going when we wrote, so this page covers the toss, both line-ups we could confirm, and the wickets that had fallen. The close-of-play score comes in a separate report.

Sri Lanka chose to field first in Rawalpindi

The ICC match centre records the toss as "Sri Lanka elected to field". Play started at 9:30 am Pakistan time, the time we listed in our Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test start time page. This is the first of two Tests, and both count for the World Test Championship.

The ICC page lists the three umpires together and does not say which one is the TV umpire. We have kept them in the order the ICC gives.

Pakistan playing XI for the 1st Test

This is the Pakistan XI in the batting order the ICC scorecard shows. Babar Azam is marked captain and Ghazi Ghori wicketkeeper.

1. Azan Awais
2. Muhammad Tayyab Arif (Test debut)
3. Mohammad Taha (Test debut)
4. Babar Azam (captain)
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Salman Agha
7. Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper)
8. Arafat Minhas
9. Razaullah
10. Mohammad Abbas
11. Saqib Khan (Test debut)

The debut labels are our own, from the squad releases. The PCB named Taha as uncapped on 24 October, and the ICC called Tayyab and Saqib "maiden international call-ups" on 7 November. We could not confirm whether Arafat Minhas and Razaullah have played a Test before, so we have not marked them.

Five of the 16-player squad are not in the XI, including Aamer Jamal, who was added on 7 November. The full squad and the changes are on our page on the Pakistan Test squad update.

Sri Lanka's bowlers on day one

Sri Lanka had not batted when we wrote, so the ICC page did not yet show their full XI. These Sri Lanka players had appeared on the field, from the bowling card and the catches:

Kusal Mendis was named Sri Lanka's Test captain for this tour in October, as our page on Kusal Mendis as Sri Lanka captain records. We will add Sri Lanka's full XI once the ICC scorecard lists it.

Tayyab Arif made 57 off 51 on debut

Pakistan's openers started fast. Azan Awais made 30 off 50 balls with seven fours before he was caught by Mendis off Rathnayaka. Pakistan were then 86 for 1 in the 17th over.

Tayyab Arif fell four runs later, caught by Mendis off Asitha Fernando for 57 off 51 balls, with nine fours and a six. He came into the squad with 727 first-class runs at an average of 66.09 and three centuries, the ICC said on 7 November.

Babar Azam then made 50 off 58 balls with seven fours, before he was caught by Mendis off Madushanka. Here is how the wickets fell, from the ICC scorecard:

Mohammad Taha, the other debutant batter, and Saud Shakeel were together after that. We have not given a running score, because it was changing as we wrote.

Where to watch the rest of the Test

Tapmad's page for the match was still titled "Watch Free PAK vs SRI Live | 1st Test" when we opened it on 9 November. The video player did not load for our check, so we could not confirm that the stream itself plays without a subscription. Our 1st Test where to watch page has the other options.

The Test runs to Friday 13 November. The second Test is in Lahore from 17 November.

Common questions

Who won the toss in Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test?

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field first at Rawalpindi on 9 November 2026.

What is Pakistan's playing XI for the 1st Test?

Azan Awais, Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Babar Azam (captain), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Arafat Minhas, Razaullah, Mohammad Abbas and Saqib Khan.

Who is making a Test debut for Pakistan?

Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Tayyab Arif and Saqib Khan, all named as uncapped in the squad releases.

Is Aamer Jamal playing in the 1st Test?

No. He was added to the squad on 7 November but is not in the XI for Rawalpindi.

Who are the umpires for the Rawalpindi Test?

Adrian Holdstock, Rod Tucker and Allahuddien Paleker, with Dean Cosker as match referee.

When does the 1st Test end?

It is scheduled for five days, from 9 to 13 November 2026.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the toss, the Pakistan XI, the scorecard, the fall of wickets and the match officials on the ICC match centre on 9 November 2026 between 13:45 and 14:40 PKT. Tayyab Arif's first-class record is from the ICC's squad news of 7 November. The PCB website refused our connection, so we could not read its own release.