KARACHI: Pakistan have reinstated star batter Babar Azam in their 16-man squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia, which begins next week. The selectors confirmed the team on Friday. Babar had missed Pakistan’s most recent ODI assignment versus Bangladesh due to a fitness concern earlier in March.
In the buildup to the Australia tour, Babar recently amassed 588 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and also lifted his first captaincy title earlier this month, adding momentum heading into the ODI contests.
Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue as Pakistan’s captain, while Salman Ali Agha has been named the new vice-captain for the series. Alongside Babar, three other major names—Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shadab Khan—are also back in the squad after all missing the Bangladesh tour.
Pakistan have also brought back left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim into the ODI group. Meanwhile, Ahmed Daniyal, spin allrounder Arafat Minhas, and wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir are set to make their ODI debuts. Nazir is expected to operate as the backup wicketkeeper to Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, who is Pakistan’s first-choice gloveman for the series.
Injury concerns have ruled out experienced openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub from the Australia ODIs. The squad also sees the omission of former Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan, who has been Pakistan’s top run-scorer since the conclusion of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
Rizwan had been part of Pakistan’s two-match Test squad against Bangladesh, where his gritty 94 was still not enough to prevent Pakistan from suffering another defeat as Bangladesh completed a second consecutive clean sweep in Test cricket.
Australia are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on May 23, though their squad for the series has not yet been announced. The opening ODI will be played at Rawalpindi on May 30. The remaining matches will take place in Lahore on June 2 and June 4.
The series offers both sides an opportunity to fine-tune their combinations ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Pakistan ODI squad
- Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain)
- Salman Ali Agha (vc)
- Abdul Samad
- Abrar Ahmed
- Ahmed Daniyal
- Arafat Minhas
- Babar Azam
- Haris Rauf
- Maaz Sadaqat
- Ghazi Ghori (wk)
- Naseem Shah
- Rohail Nazir (wk)
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Shadab Khan
- Shamyl Hussain
- Sufyan Moqim
