Visiting Australia have announced the playing XI for the first T20I against Pakistan, naming three debutants, with captain Mitchell Marsh resting.
The three T20I matches will be ideal for Pakistan and Australia as the host nation is looking to try out their best combination, as some of the senior players who were absent from the team in the recent Sri Lanka tour, while the Aussies are looking at it as an important preparation ahead of the World Cup in the same format in the subcontinent just six days after the series ends.
At the same time, for Australian players, coming off the recent Big Bash League (BBL) season, it is an ill-timed series, despite being organised ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be played between February 7 and March 8 in Sri Lanka and India.
Aussies are resting the players like Marsh and Josh Inglis, who were involved in the BBL 15 until the final match, to manage their workload, and giving Mahli Beardman, Jack Edwards and Matthew Renshaw their maiden T20I caps.
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Travis Head will lead the team for the second time in his career in the absence of their regular captain. The last time he captained the team was in a T20I against England in 2024.
Australia are also without key players like Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, and Glenn Maxwell, who are set to join the World Cup squad later in Sri Lanka.
Australia XI for 1st T20I against Pakistan
Travis Head (c), Matthew Short, Matthew Renshaw, Cameron Green, Cooper Connolly, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Owen, Jack Edwards, Adam Zampa, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman
Pakistan is set to announce the playing XI at the toss, with big names like Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi likely to return to the team, who were missing from the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
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Pakistan vs Australia series schedule
1st T20I – Thursday, 29 January – 6pm PKT
2nd T20I – Saturday, 31 January – 6pm PKT
3rd T20I – Sunday, 1 February – 6pm PKT