{"id":11521,"date":"2026-05-22T08:13:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/babar-azam-recalled-for-pakistans-odis-vs-australia-after-fitness-layoff"},"modified":"2026-05-22T08:13:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:13:22","slug":"babar-azam-recalled-for-pakistans-odis-vs-australia-after-fitness-layoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/babar-azam-recalled-for-pakistans-odis-vs-australia-after-fitness-layoff","title":{"rendered":"Babar Azam Recalled for Pakistan\u2019s ODIs vs Australia After Fitness Layoff"},"content":{"rendered":"

KARACHI:<\/strong> Pakistan have reinstated star batter Babar Azam<\/strong> in their 16-man squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia<\/strong>, which begins next week. The selectors confirmed the team on Friday. Babar had missed Pakistan\u2019s most recent ODI assignment versus Bangladesh due to a fitness concern earlier in March.<\/p>\n

In the buildup to the Australia tour, Babar recently amassed 588 runs<\/strong> in the Pakistan Super League (PSL)<\/strong> and also lifted his first captaincy title earlier this month, adding momentum heading into the ODI contests.<\/p>\n

Shaheen Shah Afridi<\/strong> will continue as Pakistan\u2019s captain, while Salman Ali Agha<\/strong> has been named the new vice-captain for the series. Alongside Babar, three other major names\u2014Haris Rauf<\/strong>, Naseem Shah<\/strong>, and Shadab Khan<\/strong>\u2014are also back in the squad after all missing the Bangladesh tour.<\/p>\n

Pakistan have also brought back left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim<\/strong> into the ODI group. Meanwhile, Ahmed Daniyal<\/strong>, spin allrounder Arafat Minhas<\/strong>, and wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir<\/strong> are set to make their ODI debuts. Nazir is expected to operate as the backup wicketkeeper to Muhammad Ghazi Ghori<\/strong>, who is Pakistan\u2019s first-choice gloveman for the series.<\/p>\n

Injury concerns have ruled out experienced openers Fakhar Zaman<\/strong> and Saim Ayub<\/strong> from the Australia ODIs. The squad also sees the omission of former Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan<\/strong>, who has been Pakistan\u2019s top run-scorer since the conclusion of the 2023 Cricket World Cup<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Rizwan had been part of Pakistan\u2019s two-match Test<\/strong> squad against Bangladesh, where his gritty 94<\/strong> was still not enough to prevent Pakistan from suffering another defeat as Bangladesh completed a second consecutive clean sweep<\/strong> in Test cricket.<\/p>\n

Australia are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on May 23<\/strong>, though their squad for the series has not yet been announced. The opening ODI will be played at Rawalpindi on May 30<\/strong>. The remaining matches will take place in Lahore<\/strong> on June 2<\/strong> and June 4<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The series offers both sides an opportunity to fine-tune their combinations ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup<\/strong>, which will be co-hosted by South Africa<\/strong>, Zimbabwe<\/strong>, and Namibia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Pakistan ODI squad<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain)<\/li>\n
  • Salman Ali Agha (vc)<\/li>\n
  • Abdul Samad<\/li>\n
  • Abrar Ahmed<\/li>\n
  • Ahmed Daniyal<\/li>\n
  • Arafat Minhas<\/li>\n
  • Babar Azam<\/li>\n
  • Haris Rauf<\/li>\n
  • Maaz Sadaqat<\/li>\n
  • Ghazi Ghori (wk)<\/li>\n
  • Naseem Shah<\/li>\n
  • Rohail Nazir (wk)<\/li>\n
  • Sahibzada Farhan<\/li>\n
  • Shadab Khan<\/li>\n
  • Shamyl Hussain<\/li>\n
  • Sufyan Moqim<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Babar Azam Returns for Pakistan ODIs vs Australia IPL","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Babar Azam is back in Pakistan\u2019s ODI squad for the Australia series after a fitness break\u2014selectors confirm return as ODIs kick off next week.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\nBabar Azam Returns for Pakistan ODIs vs Australia IPL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Babar Azam is back in Pakistan\u2019s ODI squad for the Australia series after a fitness break\u2014selectors confirm return as ODIs kick off next week.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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