Pakistan are returning from a horror show in Bangladesh and they will be determined to turn things around in the ODIs against Australia, which is crucial in their preparation for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia
Updated: May 22, 2026 3:22 PM IST
Senior figures like Babar Azam and Shadab Khan are all set to return to the 50-over set-up as Pakistan gears up to welcome Australia for a 3-match ODI series on home soil next month. The duo were excluded from the Pakistani squad which lost to Bangladesh 2-1 across 3 one-days back in March before suffering an embarrassing whitewash in the following Test series.
Pakistan are returning from a horror show in Bangladesh and they will be determined to turn things around in the ODIs against Australia, which is crucial in their preparation for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The 3-match ODI series begins on Saturday, May 30 with the 1st match taking place in Rawalpindi.
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Australia has already announced their 15-men squad with key figures like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc rested to manage their workload after a hectic Indian Premier League 2026 season.
While Cummins and Hazlewood are guaranteed to feature in the playoffs after Bengaluru and Hyderabad’s qualification, Starc’s presence in the knockouts depend on what happens in Delhi’s final league outing against Kolkata.
PCB name 3 uncapped players; Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan handed comebacks
The Pakistan Cricket Board has named 3 uncapped players – Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas and Rohail Nazir for the ODIs against Australia while senior players like Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah have been handed comebacks. Explosive left-hand batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were left out of the squad as the duo continue to recover from their injuries under the close eye of PCB’s medical staff.
Usman Khan was also overlooked due to illness and in his absence, PCB named Muhammad Ghazi Ghori and Nazir as the two wicket-keeper batters. First-choice keeper Muhammad Rizwan was overlooked by the selectors after he failed to impress in the series against Bangladesh last month.
The Pakistani squad is expected to get together for their first training session in Islamabad today with the Australian team touching down in Pakistan in the next 24 hours.
Pakistan Vs Australia, 3-match ODI series: Squads
Pakistan: Shah Afridi (C), Salman Ali Agha (VC), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (WK), Rohail Nazir (WK), Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain and Sufyan Moqim.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan Vs Australia, 3-match ODI series: Schedule
- 1st ODI: May 30, Rawalpindi
- 2nd ODI: June 2, Lahore
- 3rd ODI: June 4, Lahore
