Australia vs Pakistan: Pat Cummins resumes captaincy as Australia names ODI squad

Pat Cummins has reclaimed his leadership position within the Australian team for the upcoming Pakistan Tour of Australia. The six-match white-ball series is scheduled to start on November 4 in Melbourne, with the ODI series hitting the floors first. Australia announced a 14-member ODI squad for the home series, which precedes the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, slated for February in Pakistan. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh are set to miss the Australia vs Pakistan ODI series, as both are taking paternity leave during this period. Meanwhile, Cameron Green has opted for surgery to address his back stress injury, ruling him out for the entire Australian summer.

Australia vs Pakistan ODIs: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh absent as Pat Cummins reclaims captaincy

Australia has a busy schedule lined up ahead of them. The Pakistan Tour of Australia will be their final ODI fixture before the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series. After the conclusion of the Australia vs Pakistan white-ball series, the Kangaroos will host India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While India will be the visiting side in the five-match Test contest, Australia faces the challenge of reclaiming the trophy, which has not been in their possession for a decade. For the immediate task at hand, Pat Cummins returns as the ODI captain, marking his first captaincy assignment since the 2023 ODI World Cup victory.

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head will both be unavailable for the home series against Pakistan due to their paternity leave. Pat Cummins recently missed the Australia Tour of England, where Australia won the ODI series 3-2. Now, the pacer is set to end his rest with this series. Furthermore, the skipper is unlikely to participate in the Sheffield Shield, making the Australia vs Pakistan ODIs his sole opportunity to get into rhythm before the Border Gavaskar Trophy challenge.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been called up for the ODIs after being overlooked since the 2023 ODI World Cup. Stoinis participated in the T20I fixtures against England and Scotland recently but didn’t feature in any ODIs. Now, with Marsh and Cameron Green both out of the ODI squad, Stoinis will finally return to the 50-over format after almost a year. Stoinis is not currently part of Australia’s central contract. However, with Cameron Green ruled out for the entire summer, Stoinis has his eyes on a spot in the Australia squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.

"This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy, and the balance of the squad was focused on that, as well as continuing to prepare individuals for the upcoming Test summer," chair of selectors George Bailey said. "The one-day side had a great result in the UK, particularly given illness and injury challenges. We view this as an opportunity to expand on that achievement in preparation for next February in Pakistan."

Matthew Short, who had an impressive outing during the Australia Tour of England, is likely to team up with Jake Fraser-McGurk for the Pakistan series. McGurk, like Marcus Stoinis, played the T20Is against England. However, the door to ODI selection opened only after Travis Head opted out of the Australia vs. Pakistan ODIs. Among the batters, Josh Inglis is the sole wicketkeeper in the Australian squad, as Alex Carey didn’t make the cut despite a notable performance against England recently. Moreover, with regular picks unavailable, all-rounders Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly have earned their respective call-ups to the team led by Pat Cummins.

Australia is yet to announce their squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan, set to follow the ODIs. In an obvious move, none of the players from their Test team will be involved in the shortest format as they'll be resting ahead of the first BGT Test, scheduled to begin on November 22. With Marsh, Head, and Cummins not available, Australia will need to appoint a new captain for the Australia vs Pakistan T20Is. The coaching team will also see changes, as head coach Andrew McDonald and several of his assistants will skip the series to focus on preparations for India.

Australia squad for the Australia vs Pakistan ODI series:

Pat Cummins (capt), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa