Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman are not part of the Pakistan squad for the three-ODI series against Australia. Here’s why.
Why Pakistan are without Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman for Australia ODIs
Pakistan are hosting Australia for three ODIs, with Rawalpindi to host the first match while the other two games will be played in Lahore. The hosts named their squad for the series earlier this month on May 22, with Babar Azam’s return and Rizwan’s ouster the highlight of the announcement.
The wicketkeeper-batter has struggled in white-ball cricket recently and aggregated just 58 runs from three matches of Pakistan’s last ODI series against Bangladesh in March. He was also sub-par in the PSL, scoring 204 runs in 10 matches at a strike-rate of 116.57 with no 50+ scores, while leading Rawalpindiz to only one win in their maiden campaign. His maiden BBL campaign was a major disappointment as well.
All of these factors seem to have resulted in Rizwan losing his ODI spot. Usman Khan is unavailable due to illness as well, and PCB have named Ghazi Ghori and Rohail Nazir as the two wicketkeepers. The latter is uncapped in ODIs but has played three T20Is.
Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, on the other hand, are both nursing respective injuries and are undergoing rehabilitation. “The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced that both players are currently recovering from injuries and have been advised to continue their rehabilitation programmes under the supervision of the PCB medical panel,” a statement from the board read. “Consequently, they have been ruled out of selection for the ODI series.
Both last played ODIs during Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan in November 2025. Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat, both of whom made their ODI debuts against Bangladesh earlier this year, are likely to take the opening slots against Australia.
Pakistan squad for Australia ODIs
Batters: Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdul Samad, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Shamyl Hussain.
Wicketkeepers: Ghazi Ghori, Rohail Nazir.
All-rounders: Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat, Shadab Khan.
Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim.
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