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2nd Test | Pakistan tour of England 2026 | Lord’s, London | 27 August 2026 | England lead 1-0
Rizwan might not play at Lord’s, and Pakistan’s whole middle order shifts if he doesn’t. He top-scored in the second innings at Headingley with a rescue act of 41, but reports out of the camp suggest he could be rested after the heavy defeat there. Ghazi Ghori, uncapped in Tests, would step behind the stumps in his place, while Babar Azam’s expected return complicates an already reshuffled top six. None of it is confirmed yet, with selectors weighing workload against continuity just five weeks into a demanding stretch.
Whether Rizwan plays at Lord’s is genuinely unresolved four days out, and that uncertainty ripples through the whole side. He was the calmest head in a chastening defeat at Headingley, adding 23 in the first innings and a fighting 41 in the second when nobody else offered much resistance.
Multiple outlets covering the camp this week have reported he could be left out entirely, following a pattern the board has used before with senior players mid-series. Nothing has been confirmed either way, and the team management has stayed deliberately vague on the subject in public.
His partnership with Salman Agha has quietly become one of the most productive in the current side, averaging close to 40 whenever the pair have batted together, which only sharpens the stakes of any decision to leave him out.
There’s real precedent for this. Back in October 2024, on the same tour cycle in reverse, Pakistan rested Babar Azam, Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi together after conceding a huge total in Multan. The selectors framed it around player welfare and a packed international calendar rather than form.
The coaching staff at the time pointed to a relentless run of cricket stretching months ahead as the reasoning, and nobody suggested the trio had been dropped for underperforming. That framing gives the current management a ready-made script if they choose to rest their senior keeper again now, just under two years later and following a similarly bruising opening defeat.
Ghazi Ghori is the only other gloveman in the touring party, and he’s uncapped in the format entirely. The 23-year-old made his one-day debut in March with 29 runs in his only innings so far, but his first-class numbers are what get selectors talking, an average above 37 built on three separate centuries in the last domestic season, including twin hundreds of 113 and 138 in the same match.
PCB figures have already floated him as the long-term successor in the position, which makes this the kind of match where that succession plan could get its first real audition.
Assuming Rizwan sits out and Babar Azam is passed fit, the shape of the XI changes from top to bottom. Azan Awais makes way, Imam-ul-Haq shifts to open, and Ghori comes in at the bottom of what becomes a reorganised order.
| Player | Role | Position | Recent Test Return |
| Imam-ul-Haq | Opening (LHB) | 1 | 42 & 0 in 1st Test |
| Babar Azam (if fit) | Top order (RHB) | 2 or 3 | Absent from 1st Test |
| Shan Masood | Top order (LHB) | 3 or 4 | 29, top score of 2nd innings |
| Abdullah Shafique | Middle order (RHB) | 4 or 5 | 76 runs, avg 38.00 |
| Saud Shakeel | Middle order (LHB) | 5 or 6 | In the XI, score not recorded |
| Salman Agha (capt) | Allrounder (RHB/OB) | 6 or 7 | Score not recorded |
| Ghazi Ghori (wk) | WK batter (RHB) | 7 | No Test caps, FC average 37+ |
Selection Calls Ahead Of Lord’s
None of this happens in isolation. Pakistan are 1-0 down after being bowled out twice at Headingley, and resting an experienced campaigner in that position always invites second-guessing if the replacement struggles. The counter-argument is that a fresh gloveman with nothing to lose might bat with more freedom than a senior player carrying the weight of a heavy defeat.
Either way, the decision lands on the same short list of selectors who took a similar call two years ago and stood by it. Whatever Pakistan vs England 2nd Test Rizwan batting order questions get answered by Thursday, the identity of the side walking out at Lord’s says plenty about how this camp reads its own defeat after a difficult start to the tour.
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Will Mohammad Rizwan play at Lord’s?
It’s genuinely unclear, with multiple reports suggesting he could be rested for this match. No official confirmation has come from Pakistan’s team management either way heading into the Lord’s Test.
Who is Pakistan’s backup wicketkeeper?
Ghazi Ghori is the only other specialist keeper in the touring squad. He’s uncapped in Tests but carries a first-class average above 37, including three centuries in one domestic season.
What is Mohammad Rizwan’s Test batting average?
Rizwan averages exactly 40 in Test cricket. That figure comes from 42 appearances and 2,473 runs across a career already well past a decade at the international level for Pakistan.
Why would Pakistan rest a senior player mid-series?
PCB has a recent precedent for resting senior players during a tough tour. In 2024, the board rested Babar Azam, Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi together, citing a packed international schedule.
What would Pakistan’s top order look like without him?
Imam-ul-Haq would open, with Babar Azam and Shan Masood filling the middle order. Ghazi Ghori slots in as wicketkeeper, batting at seven behind captain Salman Agha in the reshuffled XI.
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