Australia have announced their squad for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan starting on November 4.
Opener Travis Head and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who is also Australia's T20I captain and has led them in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup, have both opted out of the Pakistan series for paternity leave. Head and Marsh both have babies due around the time the series is scheduled. Pat Cummins, whose last ODI was the World Cup final in Ahmedabad last year will return to lead the side.
The squad also marks the ODI comeback of Marcus Stoinis, who will fill in the void left by the injury to Cameron Green, who is all set to go under the knife and miss out around six months of cricket. Senior pros Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have also been named in the squad, although it's quite likely that the fast bowling group would be rotated through the series, given the high intensity Test series against India that follows the Pakistan ODIs.
Chief selector George Bailey announced the squad today (October 14), mentioning how the series will also provide ideal preparation for players ahead of the Test summer. "This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy and the balance of the squad was focussed on that as well as continuing to focus on preparation of individuals for the upcoming Test summer," he said.
"The one-day side had a great result in the UK particularly given illness and injury challenges. We view this is an opportunity to expand on that achievement in preparation for next February in Pakistan."
Australia won the tightly contested ODI series against England 3-2 last month. Alex Carey had a good outing, scoring 164 runs in three innings. Despite that, he doesn't find a place in the ODI squad to face Pakistan, as Josh Inglis has been preferred over the left-hander for the wicketkeeper's role.
Also read: Steve Smith chooses not to continue as opener for India series
