Pakistan Vs Australia: Australian Players Refused To Tour Pakistan, Agreed After Captain Mitchell Marsh's Request

Lahore: The three-match T20 series between Australia and Pakistan has begun. The Australian team arrived in Lahore on Wednesday and played the first match on Thursday. After arriving in Pakistan, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh said that his team is fully prepared to play in Pakistan and is fit despite playing in the Big Bash League. Marsh said that the tight schedule will not affect the team's preparations, as the focus is on the T20 World Cup starting on February 7. The Australian captain also revealed that some of the team's players were not fully prepared for this tour.

What did Mitchell Marsh say?

Mitchell Marsh also spoke about the absence of five senior players – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, and Glenn Maxwell – who are not in the Pakistan series as they are working on their fitness. He confirmed that all five players will join the team in Sri Lanka, where Australia will begin its T20 World Cup campaign. Marsh said, "This tour is very important for our World Cup preparations, and we have a few players who weren't quite ready to come here, they're training and preparing at home and will meet us in Sri Lanka, so there are no issues from our end."

He further added, "Most of the group has been preparing in Dubai. The rest of the players have been preparing by playing matches in the Big Bash League. We are ready and looking forward to a great series. Winning away from home is always difficult, especially in conditions that might be unfamiliar to us, so we're really excited about this opportunity. We know Pakistan has some fantastic cricketers, obviously Babar Azam, Shaheen, but we know it's going to be a really good challenge in these conditions, and we're looking forward to that challenge."

When did the Australian team arrive in Pakistan?

The Australian team arrived in Lahore without some of its experienced players, including Pat Cummins. Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis have been rested from the Pakistan tour to recover from injuries ahead of the World Cup. The Australian team is touring Pakistan for the first time since 2022.

Australian squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wicketkeeper), Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.