PCB confirms Australia ODI tour of Pakistan for May-June
The Pakistan Cricket Board has officially announced the schedule for Australia’s upcoming ODI tour, with the three-match series set to begin later this month across Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Australia will arrive in Islamabad on 23 May ahead of the opening ODI at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 30 May. The remaining two matches will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on 2 and 4 June respectively.
All three ODIs will begin at 4:30pm local time, with the toss scheduled for 4pm.
The Australia ODI tour has already drawn attention because of potential squad disruptions linked to the Indian Premier League. With the IPL regular season ending on 24 May and the final scheduled for 31 May in Ahmedabad, several Australian white-ball players could miss part or all of the Pakistan series depending on playoff qualification scenarios.
Players whose franchises fail to reach the IPL playoffs may still become available in time for the ODI series. Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis of Lucknow Super Giants, along with Cameron Green of Kolkata Knight Riders, are among those who could join the squad earlier.
Meanwhile, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis of Punjab Kings, as well as Matthew Short of Chennai Super Kings, may instead link up with Australia ahead of the Bangladesh leg of the tour if their IPL commitments continue deeper into the tournament.
Another major talking point surrounding the series is Australia’s expected pace-bowling absence. ODI captain Pat Cummins, alongside Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, is reportedly set to miss both the Pakistan and Bangladesh tours.
Travis Head is also expected to prioritise Australia’s upcoming home Test commitments against Bangladesh later this year.
That situation could potentially reopen leadership responsibilities for Mitch Marsh, particularly with Lucknow Super Giants struggling through a run of six consecutive defeats in the IPL. Josh Inglis is also being viewed as a possible stand-in captaincy option.
The upcoming series will mark Australia’s first ODI tour of Pakistan since March and April 2022, when Pakistan secured a 2-1 series victory at home.
Australia have already played multiple series in Pakistan in recent years. Earlier this year, Pakistan completed a 3-0 T20I clean sweep against Australia at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Australia also featured in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, defeating England by five wickets at the same venue on 22 February.
Series schedule
- 23 May – Australia arrive in Islamabad
- 30 May – First ODI, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
- 2 June – Second ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
- 4 June – Third ODI, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
The scheduling of the series, combined with IPL overlap and the likely absence of several senior Australian players, gives this tour a different complexion from previous bilateral contests. For Pakistan, it presents another significant home assignment against Australia, while the visitors may be forced to test the depth of their white-ball squad across both the Pakistan and Bangladesh tours.
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