Pakistan's interim Test head coach Mike Hesson has instructed ground staff to prepare pace-friendly pitches for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka in an effort to improve the team's red-ball performances. The two-match series forms part of the ongoing 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
The opening fixture is scheduled to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 9 to 13, followed by the second Test at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from November 17 to 21. Both teams have already begun preparations, with a three-day warm-up match between the PCB Patron's XI and Sri Lanka getting underway at the Islamabad Club.
Pakistan enter the series aiming to reverse a difficult run of form in the format after losing six of their seven Test matches this year. Their recent red-ball assignments included a 3-0 defeat in England and a 1-1 drawn series against the West Indies, leaving the side ninth in the ICC Test rankings and the World Test Championship standings.
Team management decided to introduce lively surfaces to assist fast bowlers and help players adapt to conditions that mirror challenges faced on overseas tours. Assistant and bowling coach Ashley Noffke has joined the support staff to work alongside Hesson in preparing the bowling attack for the home assignments.
As part of preparations, Test captain Babar Azam has returned to domestic red-ball cricket to regain his batting touch, featuring in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The Pakistan Cricket Board has implemented a mandatory domestic participation policy for centrally contracted players across regional and departmental sides.
Pakistan hold a favorable head-to-head record against Sri Lanka in Test cricket, having secured a 2-0 victory during their previous series encounter in Sri Lanka in July 2023. The hosts will look to build upon that historical success when the first Test gets underway in Rawalpindi next week.
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