Tag: Pakistan vs Australia

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

READ: Bangladesh firm on venue change request despite ICC rejection

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.

READ: India name squad for ACC Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup 2025

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Executive Officer Todd Greenberg has confirmed that the Australian men’s team is scheduled to tour Pakistan for a white-ball series in early 2026.

Speaking during an online press conference, Greenberg expressed optimism about the upcoming tour and reiterated CA’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“I believe it will be another good tour of Pakistan. The series is an important part of our schedule,” said Greenberg.

“There has been good communication between Pakistan and Australia regarding both red-ball and white-ball series. We need to look for more opportunities to play each other, which we certainly will.”

Australia last visited Pakistan in 2022, breaking a 24-year hiatus. The historic tour, which featured Tests, ODIs, and a one-off T20I, was widely praised for its spirit and hospitality.

Greenberg reflected on that experience, describing it as a major success and one that CA would like to replicate.

“In 2022, we toured Pakistan after a long gap and were given a very warm welcome. It would be fantastic to continue such tours,” he added.

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The CA boss also touched upon the involvement of Pakistani players in the Big Bash League (BBL), stating that efforts are ongoing to bring more talent from Pakistan into Australia’s premier T20 competition.

“There is no doubt Pakistani players are very popular within the community. If top Pakistani players come, they will definitely enjoy it here, and the league will benefit immensely from their presence,” Greenberg said.

While player discussions are still underway, Greenberg confirmed CA’s intention to secure participation from leading Pakistani stars in the next BBL edition.

“We hope to welcome more Pakistani players to the BBL. Talks are in progress,” he stated.

It is worth noting that Pakistan last toured Australia in November 2024, where they scripted a memorable 2-1 win in the ODI series under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan — their first ODI series win in Australia since 2002.

However, the hosts bounced back to sweep the T20I series 3-0.

According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2025–27, Australia are slated to tour Pakistan for three ODIs and three T20Is in February–March 2026.

READ: West Indies recall star players for T20I series against England, Ireland

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has criticised top-order batter Sahibzada Farhan for his repeated failures in the recently concluded T20I series against Australia.

The Green Shirts suffered a humiliating whitewash in the three-match series, mainly courtesy of the team’s below-par batting performance.

Farhan made his return to the team during the series, having last played in the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year, however, he failed to impress particularly struggling against short-pitched deliveries.

In a dismal display of batting, he scored just 22 runs across three innings at a strike rate of 104.76, with his highest score being a mere nine.

However, what made his shortcomings even more remarkable was the identical nature of his dismissals in all three matches.

He consistently attempted to execute a pull shot against the short-pitched deliveries from Spencer Johnson, only to find himself caught by Xavier Bartlett at mid-wicket each time.

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Salman Butt, in a video on his YouTube channel, after the third T20I, expressed his concerns about Farhan’s struggles against pace and bounce.

“He was late on the ball. After getting out once or twice, a batter realizes that he’s late on a particular shot, especially here [in Australia], where there is steep bounce and the new ball is coming at pace,” said Butt.

The former captain pointed out that Sahibzada Farhan failed to adjust his technique and kept getting out in a similar way, which highlights his limitations.

“You either avoid such deliveries or if you can’t avoid them, you take a single towards third man on such short-pitched balls. But if you keep getting out playing the same shot in the same way, it means your shot selection is limited,” he added.

Salman Butt further emphasized that Farhan’s struggles serve as a poignant reminder that not all players who excel in domestic cricket are ready for international cricket.

“This shows that not everyone who scores runs in domestic cricket is necessarily an international material,” he concluded.

READ: Imam-ul-Haq comes out in support of Babar Azam

Pakistan batter Babar Azam achieved a major milestone on Monday as he became the second-highest run-score in T20I cricket leaving behind Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli.

He reached the milestone during the third T20I of the three-match series against Australia in Hobart.

Babar played a 41-run knock from 28 balls, which featured four boundaries to set up Pakistan’s total of 117, which Australia successfully chased in 11.2 overs.

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The star batter has accumulated a total of 4,192 runs in the format, placing him tantalizingly just 39 runs short of the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

Sharma currently holds the top position on the all-time list with an outstanding tally of 4,231 runs.

Most runs in men’s T20Is

• Rohit Sharma (India) — 4231
• Babar Azam (Pakistan) — 4192
• Virat Kohli (India) — 4188
• Paul Stirling (Ireland) — 3655
• Martin Guptill (New Zealand) — 3531 runs

Moreover, Mohammad Rizwan, the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team, is the only other batter from the country among the Top 10 run-scorers in the format. Currently, Rizwan ranks seventh with an impressive total of 3,329 runs to his name.

Pakistan’s next T20I series will be against Zimbabwe, however, Babar and Rizwan are not part of the squad. The Green Shirts will play three T20I matches from 1-5 December under the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha.

Pakistan T20I Squad for Zimbabwe Tour: Salman Ali Agha (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan

READ: Aaqib Javed appointed as interim white-ball head coach of Pakistan

HOBART: Marcus Stoinis played an exhilarating innings, scoring 61 runs to help Australia defeat Pakistan in the third T20I and complete a clean sweep at the Bellerive Oval on Monday.

Chasing a modest target of 118, Stoinis powered Australia to chase the total in 11.2 overs at the loss of three wickets.

Stoinis came out to bat after Jake Fraser-McGurk’s dismissal with the scoreboard reading 30-2 in 3.3 overs and turned the match on its head with his belligerent hitting.

Australian captain Josh Inglis scored a meagre 17 runs during the 55-run partnership with Stoinis for the third wicket. Abbas Afridi broke the stand with the wicket of Inglis, who scored 27 off 24.

Stoinis continued his onslaught and smashed five sixes and as many fours on his way to his 27-ball knock of 61 runs to steer his team to a dominant victory.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Jahandad Khan and Abbas took one wicket each.

Earlier, Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss and made two changes in their Playing XI, resting captain Mohammad Rizwan and pace bowler Naseem Shah.

However, the decision to bat first did not bore fruits as Spencer Johnson, who took a five-wicket haul in the second T20I, removed Sahibzada Farhan (9) in the second over.

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Babar Azam and Haseebullah Khan (24) knitted a 44-run stand for the second wicket in 31 balls before the latter fell prey to a googly by Adam Zampa.

Aaron Hardie further dented Pakistan as he dismissed Usman Khan (3) and captain Salman Ali Agha (1) to leave the visitors reeling at 70-4.

Babar played a 41-run knock from 28 balls with the help of four boundaries before Zampa ended his stay at the crease.

Pakistan struggled to regain their footing and fell apart spectacularly, losing five wickets for a mere 26 runs, ultimately bundling for a paltry total of 117 runs.

For Australia, Hardie led the attack with the figures of 3-21, while Zampa and Johnson took two wickets each. Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis also contributed with one wicket each.

For the unversed, the hosts are leading the three-match T20I series 2-0. They defeated Pakistan in the shortened first match by 29 runs after setting a target of 94 in seven overs.

In the second T20I, Pakistan bowlers, led by Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul, restricted Australia to 147 for 9. However, the visitors were dismissed for a mere 134 runs, losing by a narrow margin of 13 runs.

Playing XIs

Australia: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short, Josh Inglis (c)(wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan

READ: Mohammad Rizwan donates his gloves, shirt to SCG Museum

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has advised the national white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan to bat with a fresh mind without any pressure.

Rizwan took over the captaincy of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team after Babar Azam stepped down from the position last month.

In his first assignment as captain, Rizwan successfully guided his team to a historic victory, breaking a 22-year drought by securing an ODI series win in Australia.

However, during the subsequent three-match T20I series, Pakistan failed to continue their winning run and faced defeats in the first two games.

Rizwan came under fire for his batting performance as he bagged a duck in the first T20I and scored 166 off 26 in the second match.

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After the loss in the second T20I, Mohammad Amir, in a video on his YouTube channel, praised Rizwan’s captaincy but expressed concerns over his batting in the T20I format.

“Even though Mohammad Rizwan is so brave and captaining like a warrior, in batting he does seem stuck,” said Amir.

“Because he does not usually bat in such a hesitant manner as he has seemed to in the last two matches like he is stuck and batting cautiously.

“He should play freely, he is the captain, he should play with a fresh mind and perform.”

Notably, Rizwan and pace bowler Naseem Shah have been rested for the third T20I against Australia, with Haseebullah Khan and Jahandad Khan coming in as replacements.

READ: Mohammad Rizwan donates his gloves, shirt to SCG Museum

Pakistan white-ball captain, Mohammad Rizwan, made a heartfelt gesture on Saturday by donating his wicket-keeping gloves and playing shirt to the renowned Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Museum.

The wicket-keeper donated his gloves and shirt after the second T20I between Pakistan and Australia on Saturday, which the visitors lost by 13 runs.

The management team at the SCG expressed their sincere appreciation for Rizwan’s generous gesture, recognizing the significance of these prized possessions in enriching the museum’s collection and celebrating the sport’s history.

“Thank you, Mohammad Rizwan,” they posted on Facebook. “Following Saturday’s T20 International against Australia, Pakistan Captain Mohammad Rizwan donated a pair of his keeping gloves and a playing shirt to the Sydney Cricket Ground museum.”

Kamil Khan, a Pakistani-born Multicultural Ambassador for Cricket Australia (CA), graced the occasion with his presence.

He conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to the SCG for the honour bestowed upon Rizwan, who was celebrated with a prominent place in the prestigious museum.

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“A heartfelt thank you to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for acknowledging our captain, Mohammad Rizwan, and for preserving this special moment in the SCG museum,” Khan stated.

“It’s truly an honor to see Pakistan’s cricketing spirit celebrated on such an iconic stage. Grateful for this recognition of our team and captain.”

READ: Mohammad Rizwan rested as Pakistan unveil Playing XI for third Australia T20I

HOBART: Captain Mohammad Rizwan has been rested as Pakistan announced their Playing XI for the third T20I against Australia, scheduled to be played here later today.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the Playing XI, which will be led by vice-captain Salman Ali Agha.

Young wicket-keeper Haseebullah Khan has replaced Mohammad Rizwan, meanwhile, Jahandad Khan came into the side for Naseem Shah.

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The rest of the side is unchanged with Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Khan making the top-order. Haseebullah, Salman and Irfan Khan, who played a blistering knock in the second T20I, will form the middle order.

Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf will lead the pace attack with support from Abbas Afridi and Jahandad, whereas Sufyan Muqeem is the only specialist spinner in the line-up.

For the unversed, Australia are leading the three-match T20I series 2-0. The defeated Pakistan in the shortened first match by 29 runs after setting a target of 94 in seven overs.

In the second T20I, Pakistan bowlers, led by Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul, restricted Australia to 147 for 9. However, the visitors were dismissed for a mere 134 runs, losing by a narrow margin of 13 runs.

Pakistan Playing XI: Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan

READ: Champions Trophy: BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla reiterates India’s stance on visiting Pakistan