Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test Prediction and Betting Tips

Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis added an unbroken 249 for the fifth wicket on day three in Rawalpindi, the highest fifth-wicket stand Sri Lanka have ever made against Pakistan, and they did it against an attack built around two debutants and a bowler with one previous Test.

That is the problem Babar Azam has to solve before the second Test, which stays in Rawalpindi after smog forced it out of Lahore. Sri Lanka's previous best fifth-wicket stand against Pakistan was 207, at the Gaddafi Stadium in 2009.

Before we get to our full preview, here are the key details:

• Competition: Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan, ICC World Test Championship
• Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
• Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
• Start Time: 3:30pm AEDT

De Silva and Mendis Batted Sri Lanka Ahead in Rawalpindi

Pakistan declared on 434-9 in the first Test, and Sri Lanka replied with 446, a lead of 12, after losing their last six wickets for 42 on the fourth morning as debutant Saqib Khan finished with 7-130.

De Silva made 167, his 14th Test century, after Saud Shakeel dropped him at first slip on 38, while Mendis made 119 in his first innings as captain and became the first Sri Lankan to score a century in his debut innings as Test skipper.

The wider form is grim for the hosts. Pakistan arrived ninth and last in the World Test Championship table after a 3-0 series loss in England, and Sri Lanka sit seventh, so both sides need points from the second Test.

Saqib Khan Rescued a Leaky Pakistan Attack

Pakistan picked a heavily changed squad for this series, leaving out Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan, and handed Test debuts in Rawalpindi to Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Arafat Minhas, and Saqib Khan.

The bowling is the bigger worry. Debutant Saqib Khan rallied to finish with 7-130 and Mohammad Abbas (2-68) kept things tight, but fellow debutant Arafat Minhas (0-92) and Razaullah (1-140) were taken apart.

Sri Lanka are without Pathum Nissanka, ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury, so Lahiru Udara has come into the squad, with Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal around the two centurions.

Prabath Jayasuriya missed the first Test XI but is in the squad if Sri Lanka want more spin late in the match.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Betting Markets

Top team batter is the standout market. Sri Lanka's middle order batted through the whole of day three, and Pakistan's attack has little time to find fixes, so the batters who are already in form carry real weight here.

Match result is a closer call. Kamindu Mendis said the Rawalpindi surface might get good for spinners later in the match, and if it plays the same way in the second Test, the draw and a Sri Lanka win are both live, depending on how quickly the first innings are built.

With the draw so much in play here, it is worth understanding how Test matches work and why a flat pitch and slow scoring can tilt the result that way.

With so much hinging on the first Test result, look at the latest Test match odds again once the first Test is done and the second Test XIs are named.

Top team bowler is also worth a look, with debutant Saqib Khan taking 7-130 and Abbas the one Pakistan quick who has found consistent control.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Prediction: Our Pick

Our pick is Dhananjaya de Silva as Sri Lanka's top batter in the first innings. He has 14 Test centuries, he top scored for Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi with 167, and he will face an attack in which Razaullah and Arafat Minhas went for 232 runs between them for one wicket at the same ground.

Once Kamindu Mendis fell, Pakistan's attack could not take another wicket for the rest of day three, which hardly suggests they have a plan for him in the second Test, even if Saqib Khan removed him without addition on the fourth morning.

Kusal Mendis is in good touch as the new captain and Kamindu Mendis made 58 in the first Test, so de Silva has competition in his own dressing room, but nobody in that line-up looked as comfortable against this attack as the man who made 167 against it.