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2nd Test | Pakistan tour of England 2026 | Lord’s, London | 27 August 2026 | England lead 1-0
Pakistan are weighing whether to add a second spinner for Lord’s, and history says that’s a gamble. Spinners have averaged more than 55 per wicket at this ground since 2016, worse than anywhere else in England, while pace bowlers have taken the vast majority of wickets here across the same stretch. Ali Usman’s five-wicket haul at Headingley earned him a place; doubling down with Sajid Khan risks handing overs to bowlers this surface simply doesn’t reward until the match is nearly over.
Sajid Khan didn’t play at Headingley, but he’s very much in the conversation for Lord’s. The 32-year-old off-spinner has 65 Test wickets at an average under 29, and he arrives on the back of back-to-back ten-wicket hauls in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The logic isn’t hard to follow. Usman’s maiden five-for at Headingley came in the first innings, and Pakistan’s think tank may fancy doubling the control two spinners can offer through the middle overs of an innings, especially with the ball softening on a used surface by days four and five. Pairing him with Ali Usman would give the attack two front-line spinners rather than only one.
The numbers are stark. Since 2016, spinners working at this ground have gone at more than 55 runs per wicket, the worst return for the craft at any Test venue in the country. Seamers have thrived in the same window, averaging under 25 and claiming the vast majority of wickets that fall here.
Of the ten most prolific wicket-takers in this ground’s history, only two bowled slow. The other seven made their names with the new and old ball alike, exploiting a surface that keeps its sharp early-innings slope even as the pitch settles.
Recent fixtures back up the trend. Every Test hosted here across the last two home summers, including a World Test Championship final, was decided largely by pace, and no visiting slow bowler has managed a five-wicket haul in that stretch.
Two spinners in the same XI is realistic because both arrive with genuine recent form, not just reputation. Usman’s maiden five-for at Headingley and Sajid Khan’s stack of domestic wickets sit well clear of the seam options who managed just five wickets between them in that same innings.
| Bowler | Type | Match Status | 1st Test Wkts | 1st Test Econ | Career Wkts | Career Econ |
| Ali Usman | Spin (SLA) | Played, maiden five-for | 5 | 3.83 | 11 | 2.73 |
| Sajid Khan | Spin (OB) | Did not play | N/A | N/A | 69 | 3.43 |
| Khurram Shahzad | Pace (RFM) | Played, inconsistent | 3 | 6.09 | 35 | 4.12 |
| Mohammad Ali | Pace (RFM) | Played, seamer | 1 | 4.68 | 15 | 3.51 |
| Mohammad Abbas | Pace (RM) | Played, tight lines | 1 | 3.12 | 119 | 2.52 |
Headingley’s Lopsided Opening Result
England won the series opener by an innings and 103 runs, bowling out the tourists for 171 and 135 inside four days. Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson did almost all of the damage, taking eight wickets apiece at averages of 11.12 and 10.00, figures that read more like white-ball economy rates than Test bowling returns.
Usman was the one bright spot with the ball, taking five wickets in England’s only innings, but his side’s own batting collapsed twice, folding for 135 in just 37.3 overs second time round. Babar Azam’s absence with a finger injury only added to the top order’s problems.
Joe Root’s own record at this ground undercuts the twin-spin theory further. He’s scored more than two thousand runs here at an average near 55, built in no small part on sweeping and driving spin. Headingley offered an early version of the same pattern, with Brook, Cox, Root and Lawrence all reaching fifty or beyond before Usman found any real purchase.
England didn’t even bother picking a frontline spinner for the series opener, a decision that reads as a quiet vote of confidence that pace wins Test matches at home more often than turn does.
Whatever Pakistan settle on, the England vs Pakistan 2nd Test spin bowling strategy debate comes down to one basic tension: control through two spinners, or firepower through an extra seamer built for a ground that has rarely rewarded the former.
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Does Lord’s favour spin bowling?
Rarely; Lord’s is one of the toughest venues in England for spinners. Since 2016, slow bowlers have averaged more than 55 runs per wicket there, the worst return for spin at any Test ground in the country.
Who are Pakistan’s frontline spin options?
Ali Usman and Sajid Khan lead the touring spin attack. Usman took a maiden five-wicket haul on debut at Headingley, while Khan has 65 Test wickets and a string of ten-wicket domestic hauls behind him.
Why did Pakistan lose the first Test so heavily?
England’s seamers overwhelmed a fragile batting line-up twice over. Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson shared sixteen wickets between them as Pakistan folded for 171 and then 135 inside four days.
Will Babar Azam return for the second Test?
Yes, Babar Azam is expected back after missing the opener with a finger injury. His return likely pushes Azan Awais out of the top order at Lord’s.
How many Tests are in this series?
Three Tests make up the series, and England already lead 1-0 after the opener. After Lord’s, the tour concludes at Edgbaston in Birmingham from September 9 to 13, giving Pakistan two more chances to level things up.
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