PCB announces schedule for Australia's ODI series in Pakistan
Australia return to Pakistan for first ODI series since their 2022 tour of the country
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced the schedule for the upcoming three-match home ODI series against Australia, set to commence later this month.
The Australia men’s cricket team will arrive in Islamabad on 23 May ahead of the opening ODI, scheduled to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 30 May.
The remaining two matches of the series will be held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on 2 and 4 June respectively. All three ODIs will begin at 4:30pm local time, with the toss scheduled for 4pm.
Following the Pakistan tour, Australia will travel to Bangladesh for an ODI and T20I campaign beginning on 9 June.
However, several leading Australian white-ball players are expected to miss the Pakistan series due to their commitments in the Indian Premier League (IPL), whose regular season concludes on 24 May before the final takes place in Ahmedabad on 31 May.
Players whose IPL franchises fail to qualify for the playoffs could still join the squad in time for the Pakistan series.
All-rounder Mitch Marsh and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, both representing Lucknow Super Giants, along with Cameron Green of Kolkata Knight Riders, are among those likely to be available earlier.
Meanwhile, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis of Punjab Kings, as well as Matthew Short of Chennai Super Kings, may instead join the squad ahead of the Bangladesh tour should their teams progress to the IPL playoffs.
It is understood that ODI captain Pat Cummins, alongside fellow pace bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, will not feature in either the Pakistan or Bangladesh series.
Travis Head is also reportedly expected to prioritise Australia’s upcoming Test series against Bangladesh in northern Australia later this year.
Lucknow Super Giants’ poor run of six straight defeats could open the door for Mitch Marsh to resume Australia’s ODI captaincy duties in Cummins’ absence, with Josh Inglis also in contention as a stand-in leader.
The forthcoming bilateral ODI series will mark Australia’s first tour of Pakistan in the 50-over format since March and April 2022, when the Men in Green secured a 2-1 series victory.
Earlier this year, Australia toured Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in January and February, where the hosts completed a 3-0 clean sweep at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Australia also visited Pakistan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, registering a five-wicket win over England at the same venue on 22 February.
Series schedule (all matches begin at 4:30pm local time):
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