Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test 2026 Preview and Squads

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test 2026 begins on May 16 at Sylhet. Pakistan must win this Test or the series is lost. Bangladesh won the 1st Test at Mirpur by 104 runs and are now one win away from completing another home series victory over Pakistan. This BAN vs PAK 2nd Test at Sylhet carries maximum stakes for both sides in the ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Pakistan lost the 1st Test because their batters could not handle the spin on the Mirpur surface. Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled Bangladesh to a comfortable 104-run win. Now Pakistan travels to Sylhet, another spin-friendly surface in Bangladesh, and must find answers fast. Shan Masood's side cannot afford another batting collapse if they want to keep their WTC campaign alive.

Bangladesh comes into this Test with full confidence. They have now won three of their last four Tests. Their spin attack is working at peak level. Their captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, is in strong batting form. Everything points toward Bangladesh completing the series win. The home advantage at Sylhet, combined with the form gap between the two sides right now, makes Bangladesh the clear favorites going into this Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test 2026.

Recent Performance

Bangladesh

Match	Result	Date
vs Pakistan 1st Test	Won by 104 runs	08 May 2026
vs Ireland 2nd Test	Won by 217 runs	19 Nov 2025
vs Ireland 1st Test	Won by innings and 47 runs	11 Nov 2025
vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test	Lost by innings and 78 runs	25 Jun 2025
vs Sri Lanka 1st Test	Match drawn	17 Jun 2025

Pakistan

Match	Result	Date
vs Bangladesh 1st Test	Lost by 104 runs	08 May 2026
vs South Africa 2nd Test	Lost by 8 wickets	20 Oct 2025
vs South Africa 1st Test	Won by 93 runs	12 Oct 2025
vs West Indies 2nd Test	Lost by 120 runs	25 Jan 2025
vs West Indies 1st Test	Won by 127 runs	17 Jan 2025

Pakistan vs Bangladesh Head-to-Head Record

Match	Winner	Margin	Date
1st Test, Bangladesh 2026	Bangladesh	104 runs	08 May 2026
2nd Test, Bangladesh 2024	Bangladesh	6 wickets	30 Aug 2024
1st Test, Bangladesh 2024	Bangladesh	10 wickets	21 Aug 2024
2nd Test, Pakistan 2021	Pakistan	Innings and 8 runs	04 Dec 2021
1st Test, Pakistan 2021	Pakistan	8 wickets	26 Nov 2021

Probable Playing XI

Bangladesh Playing XI: Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana

Pakistan Playing XI: Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khurram Shahzad

Key Players to Watch

Taijul Islam (Bangladesh)

50 wickets in 10 recent Test matches at an economy of 3.04. Taijul Islam was the match-winner in the 1st Test at Mirpur, and he will be the most dangerous bowler again at Sylhet. His left-arm orthodox spin has been impossible for Pakistan's right-handed batters to score against in this series. The Sylhet surface also supports spin heavily, and Taijul has the experience and skill to exploit it from the very first session. Pakistan's batters have no answer to him right now, and he enters this Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test 2026 as the most likely match-winner on either side.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh)

31 wickets in 9 recent Tests at an economy of 2.76. Mehidy was outstanding alongside Taijul in the 1st Test, and his combination of tight off-spin bowling with genuine batting ability at number seven makes him Bangladesh's most complete cricketer in this series. His economy rate of 2.76 across recent Tests shows a bowler who gives Pakistan's batters almost nothing to work with. In a match where scoring runs against spin will be the central challenge for Pakistan, Mehidy's ability to bowl long spells with high accuracy is a major weapon for the home side.

Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh)

765 runs in 8 recent Tests at an average of 58.85. The Bangladesh captain is the in-form batter of this entire Test series. He reads the game situation well, builds partnerships, and leads by example at number three on spinning home surfaces. Shanto's average of 58.85 across recent Tests places him among the top-performing Test batters in current world cricket. If he bats Bangladesh to a big first-innings score at Sylhet, Pakistan's hopes of saving the series will fade very quickly.

Mominul Haque (Bangladesh)

737 runs in 10 recent Tests at an average of 40.94. Mominul is Bangladesh's second key batter and his experience of playing spin at home gives him a clear advantage over most of Pakistan's top order. He has been Bangladesh's most consistent middle-order scorer over recent Tests, and his ability to build long innings on slow, turning surfaces is exactly what Bangladesh need to set Pakistan large totals to chase in this match.

Noman Ali (Pakistan)

54 wickets in 7 recent Tests at an economy of 3.39. Pakistan's best chance of winning this Test and the series depends almost entirely on Noman Ali taking wickets with his left-arm spin. He was the one Pakistan bowler who came close to challenging Bangladesh with the ball in the 1st Test. On the Sylhet surface, if he gets similar conditions to what Taijul Islam gets, he has the skill to bowl Bangladesh out cheaply. Pakistan's only realistic path to victory runs through Noman Ali taking 8 or 10 wickets across the match.

Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Babar Azam is Pakistan's most important batter and the one player in the Pakistan lineup who has shown the ability to build a long innings against quality spin. Pakistan lost the 1st Test because nobody other than Babar batted with the discipline needed. In the 2nd Test at Sylhet, Pakistan needs Babar to score a big century in the first innings and set the tone for the rest of the batting lineup. Without a match-defining Babar Azam innings, Pakistan cannot put enough runs on the board to challenge Bangladesh.

Standings in ICC World Test Championship Points Table

#	Team	M	W	L	PTS
6	Bangladesh	3	1	1	16
7	Pakistan	3	1	2	12

Bangladesh moved to 16 points after the 1st Test win and sits 6th in the WTC table. A second win in this series would push Bangladesh further up the standings and strengthen their position in the WTC qualification race. Pakistan dropped to 7th with 12 points after the 1st Test loss, and their WTC Final hopes are now under serious threat. A series defeat in Bangladesh would make it very difficult for Pakistan to qualify for the WTC Final from here. That is why this BAN vs PAK 2nd Test is a must-win match for the Pakistan cricket team.

Conclusion

Pakistan must win the second Test in Sylhet to stay alive in the ICC World Test Championship race. Bangladesh is one victory away from another home series win over Pakistan and a major boost to their WTC hopes. Sylhet’s spin-friendly conditions again favor Bangladesh, whose trio of Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Nayeem Hasan has dominated Pakistan. While Pakistan still has match-winners like Noman Ali and Babar Azam, current form, conditions, and momentum strongly favor Bangladesh.