Tag: PAK vs AUS

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the match officials for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia, starting 29 January.

The series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, from 29 January to 1 February. The games will start at 4pm PKT with the coin toss set to take place at 3.30pm PST.

ICC International Panel Match Referee Ali Naqvi will lead the playing control team in all three matches.

The second game will be his 50th T20I as match referee, as he officiated his first game in the format at the same venue in April 2023.

Ahsan Raza, member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will be one of the on-field umpires during the first two T20Is, while Asif Yaqoob of the ICC Emerging Panel of Umpires and Rashid Riaz of the ICC International Panel of Umpires will join him on the field in the first and second T20Is, respectively.

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Rashid, the fourth umpire in the first T20I, will join Nasir Hussain of the ICC International Panel of Umpires in the third T20I to perform the on-field duties with PCB National Elite Panel of Umpires member Zulfiqar Jan being the fourth umpire.

Apart from being the fourth umpire in the second game, Nasir will begin the series as the third umpire, while Asif and Tariq Rasheed of the PCB National Elite Panel of Umpires will perform the third umpire duties in the second and third T20I, respectively.

1st T20I – 29 January – Ahsan Raza and Asif Yaqoob – on-field umpires, Nasir Hussain – third umpire, Rashid Riaz – fourth umpire, Ali Naqvi – match referee

2nd T20I – 31 January – Ahsan Raza and Rashid Riaz – on-field umpires, Asif Yaqoob – third umpire, Nasir Hussain fourth Umpire, Ali Naqvi – match referee

3rd T20I – 1 February – Rashid Riaz and Nasir Hussain – on-field umpires, Tariq Rasheed – third umpire, Zulfiqar Jan – fourth umpire, Ali Naqvi – match referee

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MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia (CA) has unveiled a 17-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan, which will serve as a crucial tune-up for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

All three matches of the series will be staged at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on January 29, January 31 and February 1, marking Australia’s latest white-ball assignment on Pakistani soil ahead of the global event next month.

Experienced all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will continue as captain, with several senior figures returning to the setup following their involvement in the Ashes series against England.

Travis Head, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis headline a squad that blends established internationals with emerging talent.

The series, however, overlaps with the knockout stages of the Big Bash League (BBL), meaning players still active in the domestic competition will link up with the national side once their franchise commitments conclude.

Several high-profile players will miss the Pakistan tour as Australia manage workloads and fitness concerns.

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Ellis have all been rested, with Cummins, Hazlewood and David continuing their rehabilitation from recent injuries.

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In their absence, selectors have opted to expand the squad with several backup and development options, including Sean Abbott, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe and Matthew Renshaw.

Fast bowler Beardman and all-rounder Edwards have been rewarded for standout performances in the ongoing BBL.

Despite remaining uncapped at the international level, both have previously spent time with Australian squads and are viewed as long-term prospects.

Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey, said the Pakistan series offers a timely opportunity to test depth ahead of the World Cup.

“This series is a great opportunity for players on the fringe and some younger cricketers we rate highly to gain experience with the World Cup group in Pakistan,” Bailey said.

“Some are already established internationals, while Mahli Beardman has been around the group a few times, and Jack Edwards was part of the squad for the final ODI against India in Sydney last year.”

Australia squad for Pakistan T20Is

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

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted to revise the match timings for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia, with an official announcement expected soon, sources confirmed on Friday.

The move has been prompted by extreme weather conditions in Lahore, which have led the PCB to bring forward the start time of all three matches.

Each T20I will now begin at 4:00 PM local time, with the toss scheduled for 3:30 PM. Earlier, the matches were set for a 6:00 PM start, with the toss at 5:30 PM.

Pakistan and Australia are set to face off at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on January 29, January 31 and February 1.

The series will serve as an important build-up for both sides ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

At the upcoming World Cup, Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside arch-rivals India, as well as the USA, the Netherlands and Namibia.

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Australia, meanwhile, will compete in Group B, featuring Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.

The tour will mark Australia’s third visit to Pakistan since their landmark return in March–April 2022, when they played a historic Test series, followed by an ODI leg and a solitary T20I.

More recently, Australia also featured in three matches of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan.

Pakistan and Australia share a competitive T20I rivalry, having faced each other 28 times in the shortest format.

Australia hold a slight edge with 14 wins, while Pakistan have claimed 12 victories. One match ended in a tie, with another producing no result.

Pakistan vs Australia series revised schedule

• 1st T20I – Thursday, 29 January – 4pm PKT
• 2nd T20I – Saturday, 31 January – 4pm PKT
• 3rd T20I – Sunday, 1 February – 4pm PKT

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Thursday, announced that tickets for the T20I series against Australia will be available for purchase online from Friday, 16 January.

The cricket board revealed that the online tickets will be available at pcb.tcs.com.pk, while the physical tickets can be purchased from Monday, 19 January, at TCS Express Centres from 10 am onwards.

Pakistan will take on Australia in three T20Is on 29, 31 January and 1 February at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. All three matches will begin at 6 pm PST (Pakistan Standard Time).

For the Thursday, 29 January game, the VIP enclosure (Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan) tickets will be priced at PKR 800, followed by PKR 600 for premium (Rajas and Saeed Anwar), PKR 500 for First Class (Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Abdul Qadir, Javed Miandad and Sarfaraz Nawaz) and PKR 400 for the General enclosures (Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Ahmed).

Fans can buy the first T20I tickets of the VIP enclosures at Iqbal End (Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram) for PKR 1500, and the ones at Jinnah End (Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas) will cost PKR 2000.

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The hospitality gallery tickets have been priced at PKR 5,000 for the opening game.

The tickets for the second and third T20I for the VIP enclosures have been set to PKR 1,000, Premium at PKR 700, First Class at PKR 600 and for the General stands at PKR 500.

The Iqbal End VIP tickets will cost PKR 2,000, while PKR 2,500 for the Jinnah End VIP enclosures.

Hospitality Gallery tickets for the last two T20Is can be bought for PKR 6,000 each.

Moreover, the price for one seat in the 24-seat Hospitality box in Iqbal End has been set to PKR 20,000 for the first T20I and 25,000 each for the second and third games.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday confirmed the schedule for the three-match home T20I series against Australia.

The three-match T20I series will take place on 29, 31 January and 1 February at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Australia’s T20I squad will arrive in Lahore on Wednesday, 28 January. The coin toss in all three matches is set to take place at 5.30 pm PST (Pakistan Standard Time) with the first ball expected to be bowled at 6:00 pm PST.

The series serves as crucial game time for both sides ahead of the all-important ICC Men’s T20I World Cup 2026, where Pakistan are placed in Group A and Australia in Group B.

This will also be Australia’s third trip to Pakistan since March-April 2022, when they played a three-match Test and ODI series followed by a solitary T20I.

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They played three of their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches in the country as well.

Australia bagged a close three-wicket win in the only T20I they played at the Gaddafi Stadium on 5 April 2022

“We are excited and look forward to hosting Australia for the three-match T20I series here in Lahore,” said COO PCB, Sumair Ahmed Syed.

“The tour marks a blockbuster beginning of the year for Pakistan Cricket fans, and I urge them to turn out in numbers during the series to support both the teams as they put the final touches to their T20 World Cup preparations.

“I’m sure the Gaddafi Stadium has become a familiar sight for the Australian Cricket team as they have played a Test, five ODIs and a T20I here since March 2022.”

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

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shared a proposed schedule for the Australia men’s team’s upcoming T20I tour, sources confirmed on Wednesday, as both sides gear up for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

According to sources, the PCB has forwarded two draft schedules to Cricket Australia (CA) for a three-match series, suggesting that the visitors could arrive in Pakistan on either January 26 or 27, with departure planned for February 2 or 3.

The proposed format envisions two back-to-back fixtures, followed by a one-day break before the final T20I.

Two of the three matches are expected to be scheduled over the weekend, with tentative dates set for January 29, 31, and February 1 for the concluding clash.

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Historically, Pakistan and Australia have met 28 times in T20Is, with the Kangaroos winning 14 matches and the Green Shirts securing 12 victories. One match ended in a tie, while another produced no result.

Currently, Pakistan’s men in green are in Sri Lanka for their first international assignment of the year, facing the hosts in a three-match T20I series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (RDICS).

The series begins today, with the remaining matches scheduled for January 9 and 11.

The Sri Lanka series also serves as crucial preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup, which will run from February 7 to March 8 across India and Sri Lanka.

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ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, held a virtual meeting with Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, on Friday.

During the interaction, both sides reviewed a range of issues linked to bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on ensuring a secure environment for the visiting Australian team.

They also discussed security arrangements for Australia’s upcoming cricket tour of Pakistan in 2026.

Naqvi briefed his counterpart on the measures being planned for the tour and also extended an invitation for Burke to visit Pakistan, as both officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries.

Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan for a white-ball series in two phases next year.

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The first phase of the tour will feature a three-match T20I series from January 30 to February 5, being played just ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

Following the global event, Australia are pencilled in to return to Pakistan for a three-match ODI series in March under the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) 2025–27.

However, sources indicate that the ODI leg could be postponed, with the PCB and Cricket Australia (CA) reportedly in discussions to revise the schedule.

The white-ball fixtures, initially listed for March 13–19, are now likely to be shifted to a later window after the conclusion of PSL season 11, should both boards reach an agreement.

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