Australia’s ODI Series in Pakistan Faces Leadership Challenges
Australia is set to face a significant leadership challenge as they prepare for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series in Pakistan. With several key players withdrawing due to injuries and commitments, Josh Inglis is stepping up to captain the team. This marks a pivotal moment for Inglis, who has previously led the Australian ODI side in a 2024 series against Pakistan.
Key Players Withdrawn
Mitch Marsh, a prominent player in the Australian cricket team, has been forced to withdraw from the series due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 34-year-old has since returned home to Perth for further tests and treatment. His availability for the white ball tour of Bangladesh will be determined in due course. The Aussies are scheduled to travel to Bangladesh for three ODIs starting on June 9, following the conclusion of the three-game Pakistan series, which begins on Saturday in Rawalpindi.
Marsh’s absence comes after skipper Pat Cummins and his deputy Travis Head were also forced to withdraw from the series in Pakistan due to their ongoing IPL commitments. Cummins and Head both play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who take on the Rajasthan Royals in Wednesday’s eliminator. The winner of that match faces the Gujarat Titans for a spot in the final against Josh Hazlewood’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Hazlewood will consequently also be missing from the Pakistan series, leaving Inglis poised to lead the nation in ODIs once again. He became the first English-born player in more than 130 years to captain Australia when he led the ODI side in a 2024 series against Pakistan. And the 31-year-old has the honour of doing so again as coach Andrew McDonald’s fourth-choice skipper.
Impact on Team Composition
The Aussies will also be without Mitchell Starc, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis for the three games in Pakistan. This could pave the way for uncapped young guns Ollie Peake, Liam Scott and Joel Davies to make their international debuts.
Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc will also be rested for the tour of Bangladesh ahead of a packed schedule later in the year. But Connolly, Bartlett and Dwarshuis will return for the three ODIs in Dhaka after initially being left out on the assumption their Punjab Kings side would make the IPL playoffs.
Connolly is likely to come in for the Bangladesh games as a replacement for Matt Short, who is out for revenge against Pakistan in the upcoming series. The Pakistanis swept the Aussies 3-0 in T20s earlier this year and also came out on top in their previous ODI series in 2024-25.
“When we look back at the last T20 series we had here before the World Cup, those wickets were … some pretty tough spinning conditions,” Short said this week. “So not 100 per cent sure what they’re going to produce for us here. But if it’s anything like that, we are prepared.
“It was a bit of a disappointing three-game series for us before the World Cup there. But if we are to face those conditions again, we’re ready for them, and we’re certainly preparing for them. Pakistan have had it over us the last couple of series, so we’re certainly in the hunt for a series win.”
