The first group of Australia’s cricket squad arrived in Pakistan on Friday ahead of a three-match One Day International (ODI) series beginning on May 30, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
The series will mark Australia’s first bilateral ODI tour of Pakistan since 2022, when the hosts won the series 2-1, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC). It will provide the teams with an opportunity to refine their combinations in the 50-over format, before the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup set for next year.
This series takes place after Pakistan swept Australia 3-0 in a T20I series in Lahore earlier in January.
“First batch of Australia team arrives in Islamabad,” the PCB said in a post on X.
“The three-match #PAKvAUS ODI series will begin on 30 May.”
The first ODI will be played in Rawalpindi on May 30, followed by the second and third in Lahore on June 2 and June 4, respectively.
Pakistan’s 16-member squad will be captained by Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Salman Ali Agha as the vice-captain.
The team also sees the return of several experienced players, including Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Sufyan Moqim. They all missed the ODI series against Bangladesh in March. Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub are still recovering from injuries and are not part of the squad.
Australia is currently ranked number one in the ICC rankings.
Pakistan squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori, Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain and Sufyan Moqim
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matthew Short, Billy Stanlake, and Adam Zampa.