Lahore, May 7 (IANS) The Australia’s men’s cricket team will arrive in Pakistan later this month for playing a three‑match ODI series, said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday.
The series marks Australia’s first ODI assignment in Pakistan since their tour in March‑April 2022, where the hosts won by 2-1. Earlier this year, Australia toured Pakistan for a three-match T20I series, where the hosts completed a 3-0 clean sweep in Lahore.
As per a PCB statement, the touring Australian side are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on May 23, with the opening ODI to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on May 30. The action will then shift to Lahore, where the Gaddafi Stadium will host the second and third matches on June 2 and June 4, respectively.
All three fixtures are set to begin at 4.30 pm local time, with the toss scheduled for 4 pm. The series will also clash with the playoffs stage of 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), with the opening game to happen a day before the final takes place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
With several of Australia’s leading white‑ball players involved in IPL 2026, the squad may arrive in Pakistan without many frontline names. The players whose franchises fail to reach the playoffs could still make it in time for the opening ODI – like ODI captain Mitch Marsh, wicketkeeper Josh Inglis and Cameron Green.
The likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head may be given rest to focus on the Test series in Bangladesh in August, while Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, and Matthew Short could be handed some breather with an eye on playing in the white-ball series in Bangladesh in June.
Alex Carey, Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne, who recently played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), are expected to line up in the 50‑over format, while Nathan Ellis has returned to bowling after a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the IPL and Matthew Renshaw may also land a spot in the team after good showing in his debut ODI series against India last year.
Australia, the current Men’s ODI World Cup holders, also played in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, registering a five‑wicket win against England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 22. With the next edition of the Men’s ODI World Cup set to happen next year, the series presents both teams with another chance to fine-tune their combinations and gain momentum in the 50-over format.
Series schedule
May 23: Australia arrive in Islamabad
May 30: 1st ODI, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
June 2: 2nd ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
June 4: 3rd ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
–IANS
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