Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test Series 2026: Dates, Venues, Umpires and Tickets

Pakistan host Sri Lanka for two Tests in November 2026: the first in Rawalpindi from 9 to 13 November and the second at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, from 17 to 21 November. Both count towards the ICC World Test Championship 2025 to 2027.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named the match referee and umpires for both Tests. It has not named a Pakistan squad, a start time or a date for ticket sales. This page lists what is confirmed, what is not, and what you can do now.

The two Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Tests are in Rawalpindi and Lahore

The series has two five-day Tests. The first starts on Monday 9 November at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second starts on Tuesday 17 November at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. There is a three-day gap between them for travel and rest.

The PCB announced the home season on 19 August, and its release of 29 September repeats the Test dates. Sri Lanka play a three-day warm-up match in Islamabad before the first Test. That match is not an international.

The Tests follow the T20Is and the ODI tri-series

Sri Lanka's tour has three parts. First come three T20Is in Rawalpindi on 9, 11 and 13 October. Then the ODI tri-series with England runs from 18 to 31 October. The two Tests close the tour in November.

That is a long stay for Sri Lanka. They land in Islamabad in early October and leave after 21 November. The full October and November schedule shows how the three parts fit together, and the tri-series fixture list covers the 50 over games.

Tests are the slow part of this tour. A T20 takes about three and a half hours. A Test day is six hours of play or more, and a match can last five days. Plan leave from work early if you want to attend.

The match officials are already named

The PCB named the officials for all 12 home internationals on 29 September. For the Tests, Dean Cosker is the match referee. Adrian Holdstock and Rodney Tucker stand in the first Test, and Holdstock and Allahuddien Palekar stand in the second.

Cosker comes from the ICC's emerging match referees group, according to the reports we read. The names matter less to fans than the signal behind them. When a board names officials a month ahead, the dates are firm.

We have not seen the third umpire or the fourth umpire for the Tests in the reports. Treat those as unannounced.

Test tickets are cheap, but no sale date exists

The PCB's Test price chart lists Rs 200 a day for the General, First Class, Premium and VIP enclosures at both grounds. Tickets will be sold at TCS Express Centres. The board has not said when the sale opens.

Premium seats cost more. In Rawalpindi, the PCB Gallery is Rs 800 a day and the Platinum Box or Seat is Rs 8,000. In Lahore, the VIP New Pavilion is Rs 1,000 and the Far End Box or Seat is Rs 5,000 a day. These are the figures our desk read in the PCB release of 1 October.

For a five-day Test, the day-ticket price is the one to watch. A General ticket for all five days would cost Rs 1,000 at the listed rate, if you buy a ticket for each day. The full PCB ticket price list shows every enclosure for the T20Is and the tri-series too.

What you can do before the Pakistan squad is named

You cannot buy a ticket yet, but you can prepare. Mark the dates, pick a day, keep your original CNIC ready and watch the PCB for the sale notice. Do not pay anyone who says they hold Test tickets before the board names a seller.

1. Choose which Test and which day you want, then tell your workplace or school early.
2. Keep your original CNIC, or your child's birth certificate, ready. The T20Is use an ID rule at the gate, and the Tests may follow it.
3. Check pcb.com.pk and the TCS ticket site, pcb.tcs.com.pk, for the sale date. Type the address yourself.
4. Ignore sellers on social media who claim to have tickets already.
5. Look for the squad announcement. The PCB usually names a Test squad a week or two before a series.

The last item is our expectation, not a board promise. Pakistan's last Test cricket was the England tour under Babar Azam in August and September, so the squad may look familiar.

Where to watch the Tests in Pakistan

The PCB has not announced a channel for the Tests. Reports on 3 October said PTV won the rights to 25 home matches, which include these two Tests. We have not seen a PCB notice confirming a channel, so check on the morning of the match.

Our piece on the PTV rights deal explains the reported sale. Until the board confirms, keep PTV Sports in your channel list as the likely home.

Common questions about the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Tests

When is the first Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test?

It starts on 9 November 2026 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and runs to 13 November.

When is the second Test?

It starts on 17 November 2026 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and runs to 21 November.

Are these Tests part of the World Test Championship?

Yes. The PCB lists both as World Test Championship 2025 to 2027 matches.

How much do Test tickets cost?

The PCB chart lists Rs 200 a day for General, First Class, Premium and VIP at both grounds. The sale date is not announced.

Has Pakistan named its Test squad?

No. We found no Test squad for this series on 8 October 2026.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 8 October 2026. The Test dates, venues, World Test Championship status and the ticket price chart come from the PCB press releases of 29 September and 1 October 2026, as read by our desk on 2 October and cross-checked in reports on 8 October. The match officials come from reports of the PCB release of 29 September. The PCB's website showed a security check when we tried it on 8 October, so we could not reread the releases today. Start times, the Pakistan squad, the Sri Lanka Test squad, third and fourth umpires, a ticket sale date and the television channel are not published. Check pcb.com.pk before you plan a trip.