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England vs Pakistan 1st Test Predictions - Root and Brook to power England back to winning ways

Simon Lewis

Editor

Last updated: 18 Aug 2026

Simon Lewis 18 Aug 2026

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England have lost three of their last four Tests.
Pakistan have lost four of their last five Tests.
England have a 70% win rate at Headingley and are backed to win on a pitch that the quicks will enjoy for the first two days.

Expired

Joe Root has scored a century every 4 innings in his last 21 Test innings (Getty Images).

England vs Pakistan Predictions

England lost their last two Tests against England and have lost eight of their last 13 Tests. Pakistan ended a poor run of form with an eight-wicket win over the West Indies. Home ground advantage should shift the balance in England’s favour, especially at Headingley.

England vs Pakistan Predictions
Head-to-Head
England Form
Pakistan Form
Team news

England’s Joe Root has scored 5 centuries in his last 21 Test innings.
England’s Harry Brook has scored 841 Test runs (ave 84.1) against Pakistan.
England’s Jofra Archer has taken 17 wickets in his last 5 Test innings.
Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique has scored 160*, 24* & 61 in his last 3 knocks.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam has scores of 100*, 23, 58*, 88 & 24* in his last 5 innings.
Pakistan’s Sajid Khan took 4/85 & 4/32 in the last Test against the West Indies.

Head-to-Head

England have won three and lost two of their last five Test matches against Pakistan. The last Test series between the sides was in Pakistan in October 2024, with the visitors winning the last two Tests by huge margins to clinch the series 2-1.

England Form

England are well off the pace in the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship, sitting seventh with four wins and eight defeats from 13 matches. Their recent Test form has also been disappointing, following a 4-1 Ashes defeat to Australia and a 2-1 home series loss to New Zealand.

Ben Duckett was one of the brighter performers in that period, scoring 246 runs in six innings, and he remains an important figure at the top of the order. In the middle order, England will rely heavily on Root and Harry Brook for stability and experience.

Root remains one of the greatest run-scorers in Test history and continues to close the gap on Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of 15,921 runs. Dan Lawrence has earned a recall after strong County Championship form, while Jamie Smith is expected to take the gloves.

England’s bowling attack will be led by Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue. Archer and Atkinson impressed against New Zealand, taking 11 and 10 wickets respectively, while Tongue has taken 57 wickets in his first 12 Tests. Shoaib Bashir provides the spin option, with Brydon Carse adding all-round balance and Sam Cook also returning to the squad.

Pakistan Form

Like England, Pakistan have struggled in the current cycle. They sit below the hosts after winning two and losing four of their six Tests so far. Their 2026 form has also been inconsistent, beginning with a surprise 2-0 defeat in Bangladesh before a 1-1 draw against West Indies in the Caribbean.

Babar’s return as captain is a major move by the Pakistan Cricket Board. He has scored 4,674 runs in 64 Tests and has remained productive despite Pakistan’s struggles, making 115 runs in two innings against Bangladesh and 193 in four innings against West Indies.

He leads a batting group that includes Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. Imam and Rizwan will be looking for better returns after difficult recent series, while Masood’s 109 in his most recent innings against West Indies offered encouragement. Shafique also impressed with 184 runs in two innings, including an unbeaten 160.

Salman Ali Agha and Aamir Jamal provide all-round options, while Saud Shakeel is included subject to fitness.

Pakistan’s pace attack has a different look, with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Hasan Ali all absent. Mohammad Abbas is expected to lead the seamers, bringing experience and 118 Test wickets. Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali offer support, while Sajid Khan leads the spin department after taking 77 wickets in 16 Tests.

Team news

England start a new era after the retirement of Ben Stokes, with Joe Root resuming the captaincy duties. Babar Azam has been re-appointed as Pakistan skipper but is a fitness doubt after injuring his fingers.

England (possible XI): Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.

Pakistan (possible XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamir Jamal, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali.

Verdict

England v Pakistan 1st Test

England Pakistan are tipped to win at Headingley, with Joe Root, Jofra Archer and Sajid Khan all backed to put in strong performances with bat and ball.

England Win

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Simon is a talented sports writer in South Africa with a strong focus on cricket having played first-team level for UCT, including playing at two Universities Weeks.

From a young age Simon was an avid reader of cricket magazines and books, and went on to be Editor of The Googly, CricketScene SA and SA Cricket, in addition to being a Features Writer on SA Sports Illustrated.

He has interviewed most of South Africa's premier cricketers and was the first writer to interview a teenaged Jacques Kallis.

Simon has also written about English and local football, rugby and cricket, in addition to major international tennis and golf stars and competitions.

You can follow more from Simon at Muckrack, X and LinkedIn.