Australia national cricket team is expected to tour Pakistan for the upcoming ODI series without its leading pace bowlers, as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are likely to miss the matches due to IPL playoff commitments and workload management considerations.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that the three-match ODI series will begin on May 30 in Rawalpindi, while the remaining two games will take place in Lahore on June 2 and June 4.
The ODI fixtures are part of Australia’s white-ball tour of Pakistan. Earlier, the two sides had already played a T20I series ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, the ODI leg was rescheduled to May and June due to a crowded international calendar.
The series clashes with the IPL 2026 playoffs, scheduled from May 26 to May 31, making it difficult for several Australian players participating in the tournament to join the tour. Australia’s ODI squad is reportedly expected to depart for Pakistan on May 23, meaning players involved in the IPL knockout stage may not be available.
Apart from Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood, players such as Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, and Xavier Bartlett could also miss the series because their IPL franchises remain strong playoff contenders.
Meanwhile, players including Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, and Matt Short may still be available depending on their teams’ positions in the tournament standings.
Reports also suggest that Cricket Australia is carefully managing the workload of its fast bowlers ahead of a demanding Test schedule over the next year. Australia is therefore expected to field a relatively inexperienced ODI squad, potentially led by senior players such as Alex Carey, Adam Zampa, and Marnus Labuschagne.
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