Pat Cummins announces Australia's playing XI for first ODI against Pakistan; young explosive opener returns

Australian captain Pat Cummins has announced the starting XI for the upcoming first ODI of the three-match series against Pakistan on home soil. Pat Cummins also confirmed that young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk will open the batting alongside Matthew Short during the opening ODI match of the series.

Australia’s home summer of cricket will begin with a three-match ODI series against Pakistan. The first ODI match will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on Monday, November 4. This series is Australia’s final ODI series ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy, scheduled for February.

Always Nice To See What They’re Up To - Pat Cummins

Speaking to reporters at the iconic venue on Sunday morning, Pat Cummins said that Jake Fraser-McGurk will return to the playing XI for the first ODI against Pakistan. Cummins said that it’s exciting to see younger players like Fraser-McGurk and Aaron Hardie getting opportunities with the team.

“What’s great with the T20s and some of the one-day squads recently is seeing some of those new players get opportunities and and do well. And a few of us older blokes are still hanging on,” Cummins said.

“Jake (Fraser-McGurk) and Aaron Hardie, and these sort of guys in their early 20s feel like one generation kind of past me. It’s always nice to see what they’re up to,” he added.

Jake Fraser-McGurk last played for Australia in an ODI match in February when he scored 41 runs off 18 balls against the West Indies. All-rounder Aaron Hardie is included in the playing XI, and Sean Abbott will play in place of Josh Hazlewood, who is currently participating in a Sheffield Shield match.

We'll Make Sure We Do Loads Of Red Ball - Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins backed the selectors' decision to rest fast bowlers as they prepare for the upcoming five-match Test series against India. Cummins said that there isn't enough time between the ODI series against Pakistan and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

"(Starc and Hazlewood) were obviously in England, so they kind of kept bowling, and they were both keen to play red ball. After this (three-match ODI) series (against Pakistan), it's a little bit too close to the first Test," Cummins said.

"We made the decision to have an extra two weeks building up in the gym and prioritising that. I feel like the ODIs would give me a good lead in and there's still two weeks before the first Test. We'll make sure we do loads of red ball and centre wicket (practice)."

The Australia team secured a 3-2 series win over England in their last ODI series. Australia openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, who played against England, will miss the Pakistan series due to paternity leave. Meanwhile, the Pakistan team has not played 50-over cricket since the last World Cup in India.

Australian XI for first ODI

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

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