Australia ODI squad for Pakistan announced; fresh Captain announced after England tour

Australia have announced a 14-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan. Pat Cummins has returned to lead the team after missing out on Australia's previous ODI series against England.

The squad is a strong one as the Aussies start preparing their team for the Champions Trophy next year. However, there are two notable absentees in the form of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head. Both these players are unavailable for the series due to paternity leave.

Also read: IND vs AUS: Cameron Green's fate sealed for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

Pat Cummins returns to lead Australia's ODI squad vs Pakistan

AUSTRALIA SQUAD FOR THE ODIs vs PAKISTAN:

Cummins (C), Smith, Starc, Hazelwood, Maxwell, Abbott, Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Hardie, Inglis, Labuschagne, Short, Stoinis, Zampa. pic.twitter.com/BmyvXxQx3U

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 14, 2024

Pat Cummins was rested from the Aussies' entire tour of the UK to keep him fresh ahead of a long home season. Pat Cummins, who is also a World Cup-winning captain, will look to use this series as a preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who performed exceptionally well during the ODI series against England, was also dropped as there is only one wicketkeeper in the squad in the form of Josh Inglis.

While Head and Marsh are unavailable, it offers new players like Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short, and Aaron Hardie an opportunity to present their case for the Champions Trophy 2025. Fraser-McGurk is seen as a replacement for David Warner and this will be an important series for him.

Matthew Short has been impressive in the last few domestic seasons and has also produced exceptional performances in the Big Bash League consistently. Short played in the ODI series against England recently and scored 101 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 129.48.

Short can also bowl useful off-spin with the new ball and in the middle overs which makes him a potent option for white-ball cricket. The squad also includes Aaron Hardie, who is a talented allrounder and the one to look out for the future. He can fill in Mitchell Marsh's shoes in this series and present his case.

Experienced Squad selected by CA

Apart from these young players, the Aussie squad also has the experience of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa.

All these players are the backbone of the Aussies' ODI set-up and will be key in the next year's Champions Trophy. These players, along with the skipper Pat Cummins, were also a part of Australia's title-winning ODI World Cup team in 2023.

The three-match ODI series between Australia and Pakistan will be played in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth respectively. The three ODIs will be played on November 4, November 8, and November 10.

After the ODI series, a three-match T20I series will be played between the two teams. It will be an exciting series given both the teams will be looking to prepare their teams for the Champions Trophy 2025, which will be held in February-March next year.

Australia squad for ODI series vs Pakistan

Pat Cummins (C), 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