Australia’s 18-month journey towards its World Cup defence campaign commences this weekend with three ODIs against Pakistan in the subcontinent.
The undermanned Australians will be led by wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, while teenager Oliver Peake and all-rounder Liam Scott are set to make their international debuts.
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Pakistan defeated Australia 2-1 when the two nations previously played a bilateral ODI series, while the men in canary yellow suffered an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash during this year’s T20 tour of the South Asian nation.
The first ODI between Pakistan and Australia commences at Rawalpindi Stadium on Saturday at 9.30pm AEST.
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19-year old star picked in Aussie squad | 02:19
WHAT’S THE BEST SPOT FOR GREEN?
National coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed that all-rounder Cameron Green will be trialled in multiple positions during the Pakistan tour as Australia tinkers with its middle order ahead of the World Cup.
The West Australian is under mounting scrutiny following a lean summer with the bat, headlined by a disappointing Ashes series and a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in the subcontinent.
However, Green remains in Australia’s first-choice ODI starting XI courtesy of a cluster of high-profile retirements, with fellow batters Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis stepping away from the 50-over format.
The 26-year-old, who missed last year’s Champions Trophy due to a back complaint, has averaged 68.00 in ODIs since the start if 2024, cracking a 47-ball century against South in August last year, the second-fastest ODI hundred by an Australian,
Green has batted everywhere from No. 3 to No. 8 in ODIs, playing as a specialist batter and seam-bowling all-rounder pending team balance and fitness, but McDonald has flagged the possibility of him sliding down the order and taking over Maxwell’s role as a finisher.
“I think he’s got the ability to play high up the order and low,” McDonald told reporters.
“He does have some power, and we saw that in that top-end series last year against South Africa, his ability to finish off that innings, and with the absence of Glenn Maxwell we had that conversation.
“The team that we are, we keep these things open. Experiment is not the right word, but we’ll look at different ways to play in the journey to the 2027 World Cup and where he fits exactly in that. We’ve got some options there because of his range of skills, but definitely the bowling is a big part of that.
“I feel like he has a big part to play with the ball as well. I think he’s capable.
“It feels like his bowling is progressing. Like previous IPLs, the more bowling he gets under his belt, that there’s improvement there.”
While Green’s talent is undeniable, he isn’t immune from facing the axe, with the likes of Liam Scott, Aaron Hardie and Jack Edwards breathing down his neck.
Cameron Green’s ODI batting average by position
No. 3-4 — 68.00
No. 5-6 — 25.33
No. 7-8 — 41.42
LAST CHANCE FOR SHORT?
The absence of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head has opened the door for Matt Short to press his case for more opportunities in the national side ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The Victorian has played 42 white-ball games for Australia since making his international debut on 2023, but his ODI batting average of 24.50 leaves a lot to be desired, albeit hitting a career-best 74 against India in October last year.
Earlier this year, he was dropped from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad on the eve of the tournament, while his national contract was not renewed for the 2026/27 season.
Despite seemingly falling out to favour with the national selectors, Short was named in Australia’s ODI squad for the Pakistan tour, with Head and Cooper Connolly unavailable for the series due to IPL commitments. Tellingly, Short doesn’t feature in Australia’s squad for next month’s ODI tour of Bangladesh, replaced by the returning Head and Connolly.
Marsh’s ankle injury almost guarantees that Short will play against Pakistan this week — most likely as an opener — with the three-match series potentially looming as his final chance to push for World Cup selection.
And having rejected a state contract with Victoria, the 30-year-old all-rounder won’t be readily available for One-Day Cup cricket during the 2026/27 season.
“At this stage my main goal is to play as much white-ball cricket for Australia,” Short told reporters in Islamabad this week.
“Any time you’re in an Australian squad you’re never too sure of if you’re going to get picked or not. We’ve got some young guys in the squad now and guys from below that are really pushing for a spot.
“Now that Maxi’s finished up … it does open a door, but not for me personally. There’s plenty of other guys that can do a job. I’m just looking forward to doing what I can. If I do get that opportunity, then really try and make sure I grab it with both hands.
“It is a long way away, but I think anytime there’s ODIs for Australia and a World Cup coming up, a lot of guys’ eyes go towards that and want to prepare for that.
“I know for me personally, I want to try and get some runs and some performance on the board to hopefully cement my spot in series to come. I’m sure a lot of the other guys are too.
“I mentioned a little bit of a transition with some younger guys in, and a lot of Test cricket coming up, so there’s hopefully going to be a lot of opportunity for some younger guys and guys like myself as well.
“We’ve certainly got our eyes towards next year’s World Cup, and (the build-up) probably starts now.”
Short will most likely open the batting against Pakistan, with captain Josh Inglis the leading candidate to join him in the middle for the Powerplay.
ODI batting average as opener
Josh Inglis — 39.66
Matt Short — 21.54
Alex Carey — 15.66
Marnus Labuschagne — 7.00
IS KING BABAR BACK?
Superstar batter Babar Azam is desperate to once again become a three-format player for Pakistan following his recent PSL heroics.
A few years ago, the 31-year-old was one of the best multi-format batters in world cricket, mentioned alongside the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.
But a dramatic dip in form led to Azam losing his spot in Pakistan’s T20 side, missing selection for last year’s Asia Cup and struggling during the recent Big Bash League and T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, he hasn’t scored a Test century since December 2022, a worrying drought for a player of his calibre.
“I was not up to my own expectations, but it is normal for a batter to struggle with his execution,” Azam said earlier this month.
“You have to take a few steps back and assess where you are going wrong and correct it. You need support in such times, and my family and close friends kept me motivated. I discussed the areas of improvement with the coaches who are close to me and worked on them.
“Life is like a rollercoaster, and things never stay the same. You learn from your good and bad experiences. That is how life goes.”
However, a triumphant PSL campaign with the Peshawar Zalmi, where he finished as the competition’s leading run-scorer with 588 runs at 73.50, has boosted his chances of a T20I recall.
Azam will get another opportunity to press his case during this week’s ODI series against Australia, where a couple of impressive performances with the willow could be enough to convince national selectors he’s returned to the peak of his powers.
“My focus is on all three formats,” Babar continued.
“I feel a batter should play all cricket and should not limit himself to white-ball cricket.
“Red-ball cricket teaches you the art of batting long and instils patience in you. It helps you to understand how you can score big runs.
“And all the learnings from the red-ball game help you in white-ball cricket.”
HOW STRONG IS THE AUSSIE PACE DEPTH?
No Pat Cummins, no Josh Hazlewood, no Mitchell Starc, no Xavier Bartlett, no Lance Morris, no Mahli Beardman, no Ben Dwarshuis.
Australia is expected to field a third-choice pace attack for the ODI series against Pakistan, with several high-profile quicks unavailable for the tour due to IPL commitments and injury.
Nathan Ellis, with just 18 ODI wickets to his name, is comfortably the most experienced pace bowler in the squad, accompanied by Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake and Liam Scott.
The 204cm Stanlake has not represented Australia in any format since 2019, while Meredith played a lone ODI against the West Indies in the Caribbean in 2021.
“It’s very exciting to be back,’’ Stanlake told Code Sports last week.
“There has been a lot of hard work over the last four or five years with injuries.
“I wouldn’t call it tough or hard. It was just frustrating. I wanted to get back to this level and that’s something I used as motivation. I never got down on myself or felt sorry for myself.’’
He added: “I am really excited about getting over to Pakistan. It does not matter where it is. Playing for Australia after such a long time, I’m rapt.
“It is going to be a good challenge. I can go over there and hopefully have that point of difference with my height and hopefully get that little bit of extra bounce.’’
The uncapped Scott, meanwhile, earned a maiden national call-up courtesy of his all-round performances for South Australia over the last couple of home summers. World Cup winner Sean Abbott has seemingly fallen down the pecking order.
The sport’s calendar squeeze will no doubt force the national selectors to test Australia’s bowling depth over the coming 18 months, with Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood unlikely to play many bilateral white-ball series ahead of World Cup.
The recent T20 World Cup campaign demonstrated how vulnerable Australia’s bowling attack can be without the ‘big three’ at their disposal, and if either Starc, Cummins or Hazlewood misses next year’s marquee tournament in South Africa due to injury or retirement, pressure will fall on the second-tier quicks to step up to the task.
IS PEAKE READY?
If Ollie Peake makes his debut in Pakistan this week, he’ll become the youngest specialist batter to represent Australia in a men’s ODI, while only six other cricketers have achieved the feat before their 20th birthday – Ray Bright, Craig McDermott, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins.
The Geelong product has already ticked off multiple significant career milestones, including a Big Bash debut, Sheffield Shield debut, Australia A debut and Under-19 World Cup title.
And while his List A numbers don’t necessarily scream out for national selection – averaging 36.75 with a career-best of 55 not out across six matches, with no professional hundreds to his name – the 19-year-old has repeatedly received plaudits for his maturity and game awareness, possessing batting intelligence beyond his years.
“It’s definitely a stretch opportunity for Ollie … this is a good opportunity to see where he’s at,” Victorian coach Chris Rogers told SEN on Thursday.
“You never know if someone can swim until you throw them in the deep end. We’ll see if he sinks or he swims.
“But there will be a lot of support for him either way.”
Asked about Peake’s credentials while speaking to reporters on Monday, chief selector George Bailey responded: “To be perfectly honest, everything’s impressive with Peakey.
“For a young man of his age, and what he’s been able to do so far in his career, he’s spent a little bit of time around the national team in Sri Lanka, he’s performed well domestically.
“It’s clearly an eye for the future with his selection … there’s obviously ability there, but coupled with a really, really strong game sense and game awareness for someone of his age and experience.”
Australian squad for Pakistan ODIs
Josh Inglis (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa
Australian fixtures for Pakistan tour
All times AEST
May 30 — First ODI: Rawalpindi Stadium, 9:30pm
June 2 — Second ODI: Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, 9:30pm
June 4 — Third ODI: Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, 9:30pm
