Quick answer: Yes, Pakistan really have dropped 7 players from their squad for the ENG vs PAK 3rd Test 2026 at Edgbaston (September 9 to 13), including Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, and they have also replaced both their head coach and bowling coach. England, on the other hand, have kept almost the same group that already sealed the series 2-0 at Headingley and Lord’s. On paper this points to another England win, but with Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam reportedly battling illness before the match and a much changed Pakistan side still settling in, a draw is not out of the question either if rain or a flat pitch gets involved.
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Series Snapshot
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | 3rd and final Test, Pakistan tour of England 2026 (ENG vs PAK) |
| Dates | September 9 to 13, 2026 |
| Venue | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| Series score | England lead 2-0 (series already won) |
| England captain | Joe Root |
| Pakistan captain | Babar Azam (fitness in doubt) |
| Pakistan players dropped | 7, including Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq |
| England head coach (interim) | Marcus Trescothick |
| England incoming head coach | Stephen Fleming (from the South Africa tour onward) |
| Pakistan new coaches | Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke |
| Pakistan coaches removed | Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul |
| Broadcast | Sky Sports (UK), PTV Sports and Ten Sports (Pakistan) |
Has Pakistan Really Changed 7 Players for the Edgbaston Test ENG vs PAK?
Yes, this part is confirmed and it is a big story on its own. After the heavy 194 run defeat at Lord’s, the Pakistan Cricket Board sent home seven players from the touring squad. The players dropped were Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Ali Usman, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Imam-ul-Haq.
Imam-ul-Haq’s case is a little different from the rest. He was injured during the Lord’s Test and is now facing a possible two year ban linked to a separate injury controversy from that match, according to reports. His absence is therefore about more than just form or team balance.
In their place, Pakistan called up seven replacements, five of whom have never played a Test match before. Two of the new faces, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, already had some Test experience with eight and two appearances respectively, but the rest are stepping into red ball cricket in English conditions for the very first time. That is a steep learning curve for any young cricketer, let alone one walking into a dead rubber against a confident England side.
Players Pakistan Dropped From the Squad of ENG vs PAK 3rd Test
| Player | Reason Given |
|---|---|
| Mohammad Rizwan | Squad overhaul after Lord’s defeat |
| Imam-ul-Haq | Injury during Lord’s Test, facing possible ban |
| Salman Ali Agha | Squad overhaul after Lord’s defeat |
| Aamir Jamal | Squad overhaul after Lord’s defeat |
| Khurram Shahzad | Squad overhaul after Lord’s defeat |
| Ali Usman | Squad overhaul after Lord’s defeat |
| Muhammad Awais Zafar | Squad overhaul after Lord’s defeat |
What Do the Confirmed Squads Look Like For ENG vs PAK?
Both teams have now named their final 15 man squads for Edgbaston ENG vs PAK, so there is no guesswork left on team sheets, only on the final playing XI.
Pakistan’s Confirmed Squad for Edgbaston
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Babar Azam (captain) | Batter |
| Shan Masood | Batter |
| Abdullah Shafique | Batter |
| Saim Ayub | Batter |
| Saud Shakeel | Batter |
| Azan Awais | Batter |
| Abdullah Fazal | Batter/All rounder |
| Saad Baig | Wicketkeeper |
| Muhammad Ghazi Ghori | Wicketkeeper |
| Sajid Khan | Spin bowler |
| Mohammad Abbas | Fast bowler |
| Mohammad Ali | Fast bowler |
| Muhammad Imran | Fast bowler |
| Mohammad Imran Jnr | Fast bowler |
| Razaullah | Fast bowler/All rounder |
| Arafat Minhas | All rounder |
| Ubaid Shah | Fast bowler |
England’s Confirmed Squad for Edgbaston
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Joe Root (captain) | Batter |
| Ben Duckett | Batter |
| Jordan Cox | Batter |
| Emilio Gay | Batter |
| Dan Lawrence | Batter |
| Harry Brook | Batter |
| Ollie Pope | Batter |
| Jamie Smith | Wicketkeeper |
| Shoaib Bashir | Spin bowler |
| Jofra Archer | Fast bowler |
| Gus Atkinson | Fast bowler |
| Ollie Robinson | Fast bowler |
| Sam Cook | Fast bowler |
| Josh Tongue | Fast bowler |
| Sonny Baker | Fast bowler |
England left out both Brydon Carse and Matthew Fisher from this squad. Carse had already missed the Lord’s Test after an incident in Derby where he was briefly arrested outside a bar before being released without charge, and he misses out again here. Sonny Baker keeps the pace bowling spot he earned as Carse’s replacement.
Is Babar Azam Fit to Play the ENG vs PAK Edgbaston Test?
This is genuinely unclear as things stand, and it is worth watching closely in the build up to Day 1. Reports from early September said Babar Azam was confined to his hotel room in London with a high fever just days before the match. No official update on his fitness had been issued at the time of writing, so his place in the final XI is not guaranteed even though he remains named as captain in the squad.
If Babar cannot take the field, Pakistan would need to hand the captaincy to someone else for a Test where the side is already short on experienced leadership options, given how many senior players have been sent home. This adds one more layer of uncertainty to an already unsettled Pakistan camp heading into Edgbaston.
Who Are the Head Coaches for Both Teams at Edgbaston Test ENG vs PAK?
Both sides walk into this Test with unsettled coaching setups, which is a detail a lot of fans miss when they only look at the players. Here is a clear side by side view.
| Role | England | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach for this Test | Marcus Trescothick (interim) | Mike Hesson |
| Bowling coach | Not changed for this series | Ashley Noffke |
| Coach stepping down or removed | Brendon McCullum (left Test role in July 2026) | Sarfaraz Ahmed |
| Bowling coach removed | Not applicable | Umar Gul |
| Incoming head coach | Stephen Fleming (takes over after this series, ahead of the South Africa tour) | Not yet confirmed beyond this series |
| Test captain | Joe Root | Babar Azam |
England’s situation is less dramatic than Pakistan’s but still worth knowing. Brendon McCullum stepped down as England’s Test head coach in July 2026 after a difficult run of results, staying on only as white ball coach. Former opener Marcus Trescothick has been running the Test side on an interim basis through this Pakistan series, with New Zealander Stephen Fleming, fresh off a long spell coaching Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, confirmed as the permanent replacement once England’s tour of South Africa begins later in the year.
Pakistan’s changes are more urgent and came mid series. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were both released from their roles right after the Lord’s defeat, with white ball coach Mike Hesson stepping in and Ashley Noffke joining as bowling coach for the rest of the tour.
Making a coaching change in the middle of a series, right before the final Test, is not a small decision. It usually signals that the management felt the current setup was not getting results, and it also means the new coaching staff have very little time to work with a squad that is already unfamiliar with English conditions. PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi has publicly defended the scale of the squad overhaul, framing it as a needed reset rather than a panic move, though results at Edgbaston will be the real test of that claim.
What Does the Head to Head Record Say Between Pakistan and England?
Across formats, England hold a small overall edge in this rivalry, though the margin in Tests specifically is closer than many fans expect.
| Format | Matches Played | England Wins | Pakistan Wins | Draws/No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 92 | 30 | 23 | 39 draws |
| ODI | 92 | 57 | 32 | 3 no result |
| T20I | 31 | 21 | 9 | 1 no result |
The Test numbers show this is not a one sided rivalry at all. Pakistan have pushed England close many times over the decades, and a large chunk of matches, 39 in total, have ended in a draw rather than a clear result.
Who Has Won More Test Series Between Pakistan and England in History (ENG vs PAK)?
This is where the story gets more interesting, and it is a detail a lot of quick previews skip. Looking specifically at series played in England since 1954, England have won 7 series, Pakistan have won 3, and 3 more series ended drawn. The full breakdown, year by year, with the captains who led each side, is below.
| Year | Result | England Captain | Pakistan Captain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Drawn 1-1 | Len Hutton | Abdul Hafeez Kardar |
| 1962 | England won 4-0 | Ted Dexter | Javed Burki |
| 1967 | England won 2-0 | Brian Close | Hanif Mohammad |
| 1971 | England won 1-0 | Ray Illingworth | Intikhab Alam |
| 1974 | Drawn 0-0 | Mike Denness | Intikhab Alam |
| 1978 | England won 2-0 | Mike Brearley | Wasim Bari |
| 1982 | England won 2-1 | Bob Willis | Imran Khan |
| 1987 | Pakistan won 1-0 | Mike Gatting | Imran Khan |
| 1992 | Pakistan won 2-1 | Graham Gooch | Javed Miandad |
| 1996 | Pakistan won 2-0 | Michael Atherton | Wasim Akram |
| 2006 | England won 3-0 | Andrew Flintoff | Inzamam-ul-Haq |
| 2010 | England won 3-1 | Andrew Strauss | Salman Butt |
| 2016 | Drawn 2-2 | Alastair Cook | Misbah-ul-Haq |
A few things stand out from this list. Imran Khan is the only captain to lead Pakistan to a series win in England and also captain a losing series there, showing how much this fixture can swing even under the same leader. Pakistan’s three series wins, in 1987, 1992 and 1996, all came within a ten year stretch, which remains the strongest period Pakistan have ever had on English soil. Since 1996, Pakistan have not won a single Test series in England, a run stretching across the 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2016 tours before this 2026 visit.
Pakistan’s most recent meeting with England anywhere, back in the 2024-25 series played in Pakistan, actually went the other way. England won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs, but Pakistan hit back hard, winning the second Test by 152 runs in Multan and sealing the series with a nine wicket win in the third Test at Rawalpindi. That series win was Pakistan’s first at home against England since 2005, showing that this rivalry can flip quickly depending on conditions and form.
That context matters heading into Edgbaston. The team that dominated at home less than a year ago is now the one struggling badly away from home, which says a lot about how much conditions shape this fixture.
What Happened in the First Two Tests of This Series?
| Test | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | Headingley, Leeds | England won by an innings and 103 runs |
| 2nd Test | Lord’s, London | England won by 194 runs |
Pakistan were bowled out for 171 and 135 at Headingley, and their batting order has continued to struggle against disciplined English seam bowling since. Ollie Robinson has been the standout performer of the series so far, and his form is a big reason England go into Edgbaston full of confidence.
Who Will Win the Edgbaston Test, or Will It End in a Draw?
England are the clear favorites here, and it is not close. Their squad is settled, their bowlers are in rhythm, and they are chasing a 3-0 sweep with nothing left to lose. Pakistan, in contrast, are fielding several uncapped players, have a new coaching team barely settled in, and may even be without their captain due to illness.
That said, a draw is not impossible. A few things could push this match toward a stalemate rather than a third England win:
- Dead rubber effect: With the series already decided, England may not push as hard in tricky moments as they did in the first two Tests.
- Weather at Edgbaston in September: Cooler, shorter days can eat into playing time if rain interrupts the schedule.
- Inexperienced Pakistan batters simply trying to survive: New players with nothing to lose sometimes bat with more patience than expected, especially if the pitch flattens out after early seam movement.
Prediction: England remain the most likely winners and should complete a 3-0 series sweep, but do not be surprised if this Test runs closer to a draw than the first two matches did, purely because of how unsettled Pakistan’s new look side is walking into the game.
What Records or Milestones Could This Test Produce?
- Ollie Robinson could extend his excellent run of form against Pakistan with another multi wicket haul.
- Joe Root continues to build his lead as one of the top run scorers in this fixture’s history.
- Mohammad Abbas already has a five wicket haul this series and remains Pakistan’s most experienced and reliable bowler in English conditions.
- Several Pakistan debutants could earn their first Test cap in this match, a milestone that matters for their careers even in a series already lost.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Has Pakistan really dropped 7 players for the Edgbaston Test?
Yes. Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Ali Usman and Muhammad Awais Zafar were all removed from the squad after the Lord’s defeat.
Who are Pakistan’s new coaches for the 3rd Test ENG vs PAK?
Mike Hesson takes over as head coach and Ashley Noffke joins as bowling coach, replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul.
Is Babar Azam fit to play the Edgbaston Test ENG vs PAK?
His fitness is uncertain. Reports said he was unwell with a high fever just days before the match, and no official confirmation of his availability had been issued at the time of writing.
When does the ENG vs PAK 3rd Test 2026 start?
It starts on September 9, 2026, and is scheduled to run through September 13 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
What is the Test head to head record between Pakistan and England?
Out of 92 Tests, England have won 30, Pakistan have won 23, and 39 matches have ended in a draw.
Who has won more Test series between Pakistan and England in England?
Since 1954, England have won 7 series played in England, Pakistan have won 3, and 3 have ended drawn.
Who won the last Test series between Pakistan and England?
Pakistan won the 2024-25 series 2-1, played in Pakistan, coming back after losing the first Test heavily.
Will the Edgbaston Test ENG vs PAK end in a draw?
It is possible given Pakistan’s unsettled squad and September weather at the venue, though England remain favorites to win and complete a 3-0 series sweep.
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