England beat Pakistan by 194 runs in the second test and sealed their ​first home test series victory for two years as they ‌bowled the visitors out for 194 at Lord’s ​on Sunday (August 30, 2026).

The outcome was a formality as Pakistan ⁠were reduced to 14-3 before lunch, chasing an unlikely target of 389, but Saud Shakeel provided some resistance with a magnificent fighting ‌97.

Ollie Robinson was Pakistan’s chief tormentor again as he took four wickets for 24 to go ‌with the four for 11 he bagged in the ‌first ⁠innings, taking his total in the two tests ⁠to 16.

After a rain-hit Saturday, England resumed on day four on 177-7 but were all out for 208 after Pakistan quick Mohammad Abbas helped ​mop up to finish ‌with five wickets.

Robinson removed Azan Awais lbw with a delivery that nipped back off a length and three balls later produced a stunning delivery that hit the top ‌of Abdullah Shafique’s off stump, leaving Pakistan reeling ​on 7-2.

There was no respite before lunch for Pakistan as captain Babar Azam tried to fend ⁠off a vicious Jofra Archer bouncer but could only edge it via his helmet to Jordan Cox at third slip.

Shan ‌Masood and Shakeel dug in though and at least steered Pakistan to their highest score of the series so far.

Robinson removed Masood for 26 after lunch, but Shakeel provided some afternoon entertainment as he struck 13 fours and two sixes in a brilliant knock.

There was genuine disappointment around ‌the ground when he fell three runs short of a deserved ​century, trying to launch Josh Tongue over the deep square leg boundary but picking out Harry ⁠Brook, before walking off to a hearty reception.

With Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq ⁠again unable to bat because of an injury sustained in the field on Thursday, England only needed ‌nine wickets to finish the contest and Tongue completed the victory by dismissing Mohammad Ali.

The third and final ​test will start at Edgbaston on September 9.

England will aim to put their latest drinking drama behind them when they face Pakistan in the second Test at Lord’s starting on Thursday (August 27, 2026).

The hosts ought to be in an utterly buoyant mood after returning captain Joe Root oversaw an innings and 103-run thrashing of Pakistan inside three days at his Headingley homeground last week.

But rather than speak about England’s progress, Root spent much of a pre-match press conference talking about Brydon Carse, dropped from the squad and now under investigation by the Cricket Regulator after videos on social media showed the fast bowler being led away by police in handcuffs following an incident at a Derby nightclub on Saturday (August 22, 2026).

This is the latest in a series of alcohol-fuelled controversies that have dogged England since a disastrous 2025/26 tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Both former captain Ben Stokes — who has since retired from all international cricket — and paceman Gus Atkinson were stood down in June from the second Test at home to New Zealand following an incident at a London bar which came after they broke a curfew policy that has now been ditched by Root.

Carse did not feature at Headingley, and was unlikely to play at Lord’s barring injury, but his conduct led a frustrated Root to say Tuesday: “If I’m being brutally honest, I’m really hacked off…It’s not the isolated incident itself, it’s the fact we continuously keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it’s detracting from what we are doing on the field.”

England, with seamers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue taking eight wickets apiece, skittled out Pakistan for just 171 and 135 in the first Test while posting 409 themselves, even though none of their four batsmen who reached fifty, a quartet including Root, went on to a century.

Nevertheless, it was a professional display lacking the self-indulgent extravagances that characterised England’s cricket in the closing stages of the Bazball era under Stokes and Brendon McCullum, sacked as Test coach following the series loss to New Zealand.

Pakistan ‘hopeful’ over Babar Azam

By contrast, Pakistan were deficient in all departments with their inadequate batting compounded by an inaccurate and largely unthreatening pace attack as well as embarrassingly shoddy fielding.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, however, could return at Lord’s from a finger injury initially sustained during the tour of the West Indies and later exacerbated when he was hit on the hand during a warm-up game at Beckenham.

“We’re hopeful he will be available for the game and today (Tuesday) he was looking good; he batted well in the nets,” said Pakistan bowling coach Umar Gul. “He had a full batting session.”

Azam was Pakistan’s top run-scorer in the West Indies, with 193 runs during a drawn two-Test series.

He has also enjoyed success in England, with three fifties in six innings while averaging 65.75.

Azan Awais may make way if Azam returns at number four, with one of Shan Masood or Abdullah Shafique moving up the order to open.

Pakistan, who only a decade ago were Test cricket’s top-ranked side, have won their last two Tests at Lord’s, with Azam making 68 during a nine-wicket rout of England in 2018.

But even though Pakistan have a longstanding reputation for veering between astonishing highs and lows, a vast improvement will be required if they are to level this three-match series.

“We’ll have to learn from the mistakes we made in the previous game,” said Gul. “If you want to win a Test match, you have to perform in all departments. One can’t be carrying the other.”

Meanwhile, with England having won just three of their last 11 Tests, a wary Root said: “We know the individual brilliance that lies within that team and what Pakistan are capable of collectively.

“We also know that whenever we play anyone at Lord’s, they generally raise their game. This (England) group won’t be taking anything for granted.”

Pakistan ended its eight-match losing streak away from home in test matches with a resounding eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second and final cricket test on Wednesday (August 5, 2026).

First innings century-maker Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam, in his first series since being reappointed as captain, led Pakistan to 77-2 with unbeaten knocks of 24 runs each as the visitors achieved victory shortly after lunch on Day 4 and drew the series 1-1.

Babar knocked off the target by hitting back-to-back sixes against left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, whose six-wicket haul in the first innings had limited Pakistan’s lead to 43 runs.

“You are always satisfied with the win,” Babar said. “The most important thing was that we executed our plans whether it was how Abdullah Shafique batting or how the spinners bowled in the second innings.”

Babar’s decision to leave out his in-form fast bowler Mohammad Abbas in favour of extra spinner was vindicated as West Indies’ batting crumbled against Pakistan’s slow bowlers in the second innings.

“When we saw the pitch it looked more similar to how they are in Pakistan,” Babar said. “We decided to play an additional spinner and it had an impact on our combinations because of which we had to leave out our senior players.”

West Indies won the first test by by 90 runs at Tarouba before Pakistan spinners Sajid Khan and Ali Usman utilized favorable conditions on a wearing wicket of Queen’s Park Oval to ensure Pakistan stays unbeaten in a test series against the West Indies since 2000.

Pakistan lost the wickets of Imam-ul-Haq, brilliantly snapped up by Justin Greaves in the slips cordon for 9 in Jayden Seales’ first over, and Azan Awais was bowled by Shamar Joseph for 18 before Shafique and Babar sealed the win inside four days.

Earlier, West Indies had set up a modest target of 75 runs after it got bowled out for 117 inside half an hour with off-break bowler Sajid (4-32) and left-arm spinner Usman (4-39) sharing eight wickets between them.

Opening batter Brandon King couldn’t bat in West Indies second innings due to a back injury sustained on Day 3 when he ran out Babar with spectacular direct throw from shot covers.

Resuming on 106-3 with only 60 runs ahead, the resistance of West Indies’ tailenders ended quickly with Usman picking up the wickets of Kemar Roach and Joseph. Greaves, the last recognized batter, played on to seamer Mohammad Ali’s delivery back onto his stumps after adding just two runs to his total as he attempted a cross batted shot, but got a big inside edge.

“It is obviously disappointing,” West Indies captain Roston Chase said. “We wanted to win this series 2-0. We could have probably gone in with an extra spinner.

“We have played really good cricket in the last two series and we are improving and going into the direction that I want us to go, but we are disappointed with the result,” Chase added. “We wanted to win these series and make our home a fortress, but it is what it is. We have to learn and further improve.”

Pakistan’s last test win away from home came against Sri Lanka in 2023 during Babar’s first tenure as captain before Shan Masood led the side for nearly three years during which Pakistan lost 3-0 in Australia; 2-0 in South Africa; 2-0 in Bangladesh.

Masood was eventually relieved from the captaincy after Pakistan’s dismal run in red-ball cricket, but the return of Babar as skipper saw Pakistan losing the first test at Tarouba for Pakistan’s eighth loss away from home in three years.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam was denied his first Test century in four years as West Indies fought back in the second and final cricket Test on Tuesday (August 4, 2026).

Babar, who last scored a Test century in December 2022 against New Zealand at Karachi, was run out for 88 by Brandon King’s stunning direct throw from short cover before Pakistan’s middle order collapsed and reached 333-6 at lunch on Day 3.

Pakistan still trails by 11 runs with Abdullah Shafique holding the fort at 132 not out and tailender Sajid Khan unbeaten on 16.

King picked up a lower back injury and had to be stretchered off after he fell awkwardly as his sharp throw ran out Babar at the striker’s end when Shafique refused to go for a tight single and Babar couldn’t recover his ground after running halfway to the wicket.

West Indies dried up runs through some disciplined bowling from Jomel Warrican and Jayden Seales after Pakistan resumed at 266-2.

Babar and Shafique, who rotated strike well on Day 2, stretched their partnership to 183 before West Indies claimed three wickets for five runs.

Warrican was splendid with both the old ball and the second new ball as the left-arm spinner had debutant Awais Zafar clean bowled for 1 when the batter came out of his crease for a big shot but completely missed the line of the ball.

Shamar Joseph then trapped Salman Ali Agha plumb leg before wicket and Warrican claimed his third wicket of the innings after West Indies took the second new ball when Mohammad Rizwan was bowled for 18.

Shafique patiently held one end up, but West Indies allowed him to add only 25 runs to his overnight score of 107.

West Indies leads the two-match series after a 90-run victory in the first Test.

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson on Friday (February 20, 2026) explained his team’s decision to not send talisman Babar Azam at No. 4 in its last group-stage game against Namibia, stating that he would not have been ‘‘the best person to come in’’.

“The other day, we got to the 12th-over mark and at that point Babar Azam was not the best person to come in. We’ve got plenty of other options who can come in and perform that [finishing] role. And Babar’s actually the first to acknowledge that,” Hesson said before Pakistan’s Super Eight match against New Zealand in Colombo.

Hesson, however, insisted that Babar will bat at No. 4 going ahead, despite coming under scrutiny.

“He’s well aware that his strike rate in the PowerPlay in World Cups is less than 100, so clearly that’s not a role we need.”

“We got Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup, we wanted some batsmanship through the middle (overs) and he certainly brings that for us,” Hesson said.

Elaborating on the call to drop Shaheen Afridi, Hesson said, “We picked the best team to play that particular game. Salman Mirza has bowled incredibly well, he was probably really unlucky to not be playing the second and third games, his record since he started playing for Pakistan is exceptional”.

Pakistan batting star Babar Azam was fined 10% of his match fee and handed a demerit point for hitting the stumps with his bat after being dismissed in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.

The 31-year-old breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.” In addition, a demerit point has been added to his disciplinary record, making it a first offence for Babar in a 24-month period.

The incident occurred in the 21st over of Pakistan’s innings when Babar hit the stumps with his bat before leaving the crease following his dismissal in the final ODI of the series on Sunday.

On-field umpires Alex Wharf and Rashid Riaz, third umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid and fourth umpire Faisal Afridi levelled the charge while Ali Naqvi of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees proposed the sanction.

“The Pakistan batter admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction, negating the need for a formal hearing,” the ICC said in a statement.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Pakistan went on to make a series sweep over Sri Lanka with Babar playing a lead role with the bat, scoring 165 runs — most in the series — which included a 20th ODI ton.

Pakistan has recalled Babar Azam and fast bowler Naseem Shah to the Twenty20 squad after nearly a year for the next week’s home series against South Africa and a subsequent tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Babar, the world’s second leading scorer in T20 internationals, is back in the squad for the first time since December.

Babar’s strike rate of 129.22 has been more in focus than his 4,223 runs in 128 T20Is that put him second to India’s Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20 cricket after scoring 4,231 runs in 159 matches.

Pakistan had mixed results in T20s in Babar’s absence. It won the tri-series in the United Arab Emirates before the Asia Cup, where it lost three times to archrival India.

Shah, who has 25 wickets in 30 T20s, hasn’t played since his 0-44 against Australia at Sydney in November last year. But he has been drafted into the squad in place of Haris Rauf, who was included among the reserves along with Fakhar Zaman and Sufiyan Muqeem.

Wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris was also dropped after selectors ran out of patience with his performances since he scored a century against Bangladesh in June. Haris has only posted one half-century — against Oman — in his last 17 innings, a sequence that featured 11 single-digit scores.

With next year’s T20 World Cup in mind, the selectors opted for wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan, who scored 239 runs in 19 T20s with an average of 14.93 before he got dropped in March.

Power-hitter Abdul Samad and fast bowler Salman Mirza are the other players recalled into the squad. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq, who performed well in the recent Caribbean Premier League, was also included.

The selectors also retained Mohammad Rizwan in the ODI team after he was fired from the captaincy and replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pakistan is scheduled to play two ODI series at home next month against South Africa and Sri Lanka.

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T20 squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq

ODI squad: Shahen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha