Australia will field three debutants — Jack Edwards, Matthew Renshaw and Mahli Beardman — in the first T20I against Pakistan, which will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday, January 29.
Travis Head will lead the side in the series opener, as regular captain Mitchell Marsh has been rested to manage his workload.
Interestingly, none of these players are part of Australia’s squad for this year’s T20 World Cup. However, with many World Cup-bound players unavailable for various reasons, young players who have performed well recently in the BBL 2025–26 will be given an opportunity against Pakistan.
Coincidentally, three players made their T20I debuts for Australia in Lahore when they last played a T20I there in 2022. Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne were the recipients of those caps.
Head will open with Matthew Short. Cameron Green is listed at number three, with debutant Renshaw slated to bat at four.
Josh Philippe will keep the stumps, as first-choice wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is being rested. Along with Green, Edwards and Short, Cooper Connolly and Mitchell Owen provide additional all-round options.
Xavier Bartlett and Mahli Beardman are the two frontline seam-bowling options, with Adam Zampa the specialist spin-bowling choice.
Australia will experiment with their playing combinations before flying to Sri Lanka ahead of their World Cup fixture.
Australia XI for First T20I: Travis Head (c), Matthew Short, Cameron Green, Matthew Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman
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