Babar Azam back in Pakistan squad for Australia ODIs

Star batter Babar Azam is back in Pakistan’s 16-man squad to face world champions Australia in the three-match ODI series starting next week, selectors said Friday.

Azam missed the away series in Bangladesh with a fitness issue in March, but scored 588 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this month to stage a comeback.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to captain the side, with Salman Ali Agha named vice-captain.

The squad sees the return of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan — also missing from the Bangladesh tour.

Left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim stages a comeback in the ODI squad after finishing as the highest wicket taker in the PSL 2026 with 22.

Fast bowler Ahmed Daniyal, spinning allrounder Arafat Minhas and wicketkeeper batter Rohail Nazir are selected in the ODI squad for the first time.

Experienced openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub will miss the series with injuries, while senior wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan is dropped.

The Australian team will arrive in Islamabad on May 23 and play the matches in Rawalpindi (May 30) and Lahore (June 2 and 4).

The series will give both teams a chance to build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Pakistan’s Test team returned home after suffering a shock 2-0 defeat in Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Pakistan ODI squad:

Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori, Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim