Babar Azam returns as Pakistan name ODI squad for Australia series

Azam missed the away series in Bangladesh in March due to a fitness issue

Last updated: May 22, 2026 | 11:37

Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor

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Pakistan's Babar Azam watches the ball after playing a shot during the Tri-Nation series final one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 14, 2025.

AFP

Dubai: Star batter Babar Azam has returned to Pakistan’s 16-man squad for the three-match ODI series against world champions Australia starting next week, selectors announced on Friday.

Azam missed the away series in Bangladesh in March due to a fitness issue, but made a strong comeback by scoring 588 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this month.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to captain the side, with Salman Ali Agha named vice-captain. The squad also marks the return of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan, all of whom missed the Bangladesh tour.

Left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim has also earned a recall after finishing as the leading wicket-taker in PSL 2026 with 22 wickets.

Fast bowler Ahmed Daniyal, spinning all-rounder Arafat Minhas and wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir have received their maiden ODI call-ups.

Experienced openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub will miss the series because of injuries, while senior wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has been dropped.

The Australian team will arrive in Islamabad on May 23, with matches scheduled in Rawalpindi on May 30 and Lahore on June 2 and 4.

The series will provide both teams an opportunity to prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Pakistan’s Test side returned home on Wednesday after suffering a surprise 2-0 series defeat in Bangladesh.

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 and Sufyan Moqim.

With inputs from AFP

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Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor

Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 27 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.

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