Headingley Cricket Ground

England vs. Pakistan 2026 Rothesay Test Cricket at Headingley

Headingley is set to host a high-profile Test Match between England and Pakistan, which gets underway on Wednesday, 19th August 2026, and concludes after five days of world-class cricket on Sunday, 23rd August 2026. The atmosphere for what promises to be a much-anticipated contest is set to be electric as some world-class cricket will be played.

England is renowned around the world when it comes to a number of sports, including cricket, and Headingley is amongst the most iconic and historic cricket grounds in the country, having opened back in 1890. The first ever Test Match hosted there was contested between England and Australia from 29th June to 1st July 1899.

England and Pakistan are among the world’s top Test Cricket teams, each currently in the global top ten. England stands 3rd, behind South Africa and Australia. Meanwhile, Pakistan ranks 7th.

The last time these two met in a Test Match Series took place from 7th to 28th October 2024. England won the first test by an innings and 47 runs, whilst their opponents would level the series in the next test after Pakistan were able to record what was a victory by a margin of 152 runs in the end. They then were able to seal a 2 – 1 Test Series win over England after beating them by a total of 9 wickets in the third and final test match.

England and Pakistan have played each other many times in Test Cricket. Their first Test series, in 1954, ended in a 1–1 draw. England has the most series wins against Pakistan with 11, most recently a 3–0 sweep in 2022. Pakistan has won 9 series against England.

There are several players to watch throughout this highly anticipated Test Match. For England, standout Joe Root is widely regarded as perhaps the country’s best ever Test batsman and holds numerous records in his international career.

Root’s remarkable records (as of the time of writing) include most test runs ever for England (13,409), most test centuries for England (38), Most tests as England’s Captain (64), most Tests won as England Captain (27), and finally most catches by a fielder in tests with no less than 211.

Not only that, he is also closing in on other records, one of which is for the most test runs of any international cricket player ever – he is currently in second place with 13,409. He is only 2,512 runs behind the current record holder, who is the legendary former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who, with 15,921 runs to his name from his career, is known as the ‘God of Cricket’ in India.

You should also keep an eye out for Harry Brook, who is currently ranked as the second best Test batter by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with the aforementioned Root the only player above him in the rankings. Brook is ranked above the likes of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Australia’s Steve Smith, India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, South Africa’s Temba Bavuma, and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis.

There is also, of course, current Test Captain Ben Stokes, as well as Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts, and Jamie Smith. Bashir is the youngest English test player to ever reach 50 wickets in test cricket, reaching this incredible milestone against Zimbabwe back in May 2025, doing so at the age of just 21.

As for Pakistan, they are led by Test Captain Shan Masood, who was the first Pakistani opener since Saeed Anwar in 1996 to score a Test Century in England, doing so in August 2020. Also, his highest runs score, 156, actually came against England, also in 2020.

Then there is also Saud Shakeel, who has shown impressive consistency and technique in Test Cricket and in his career in general, and he is also the current vice-captain of the Pakistan team. Other players that you should keep an eye out for in their squad include the likes of Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha.

In the history of this fixture in this discipline of cricket, it is the legendary Alastair Cook who is the player to have scored the most runs in Test Matches against Pakistan, with no less than 1,719 over the course of his incredible career. As for the current squad, the player with the most runs so far against these opponents is Joe Root with 1,487.

As for Pakistan, it is Inzamam-ul-Haq who has the most runs against England with a highly impressive total of 1,584. In the present day, it is currently the aforementioned Babar Azam with a total of 611 runs so far, as of the time of writing.

The atmosphere at the historic Headingley promises to be incredible, with two of the best sides in the world going toe to toe for victory in their latest Test match series encounter.

England vs. Pakistan Test Match FAQs:

When and where will this Test Match between England and Pakistan take place?

This test match, which will be the first of the series, will be taking place at the historic Headingley in Leeds over the course of five action packed days, from Wednesday 19^th August to Sunday 23^rd August 2026.

It will be fourth time that Pakistan have played against England as part of a tour of the country since 2016, and the 29^th since they first met in Test Cricket back in 1954.

What is the capacity of Headingley for this Test Match?

The capacity of Headingley for cricket matches is 18,350, so it should be a brilliant atmosphere for when England take on Pakistan here in a test match in August 2026.

How can I purchase hospitality for England v Pakistan at Headingley?

You can purchase your England v Pakistan Test Match Hospitality for Headingley by booking with us on our website.

Your hospitality tickets/packages should be received two weeks before the fixture, though please do feel free to contact our dedicated sales team on the above telephone number if this does not happen.

If you have further questions, you can fill in the enquiry form at the bottom of this page, or call us on 020 7989 6500.

What are the timings on the day of the Test Match?

Gates at Headingley typically open at 9am, with the action getting under way a couple of hours later at 11am. You can find access points at Gate B, found on St Michaels Lane, where spectators can also access the ground through Gate E. Alternatively, you can enter via Gate G, which you can find on Kirkstall Lane.

The morning session lasts until 1pm, with lunch then taking place until 1:40pm. Then comes the afternoon session from 1:40pm to 3:40pm, with the evening session then taking place between 4pm and 6pm. Between the afternoon and evening sessions there is also tea, which is from 3:40pm to 4pm.

What accessibility features does Headingley have?

Headingley is a very accessible cricket ground for all. It is wheelchair accessible, whilst also having step free access, a sensory room, a quiet room, RADAR keys, lifts, disabled parking, hearing loop systems, accessible toilets, and accessible seating bays for wheelchairs. Additionally, Guide dogs are of course allowed here as well.