Pakistan have suffered an early and painful blow ahead of their highly anticipated One-Day International series against Australia, with two key batters — Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub — ruled out of selection due to injuries.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, both players are currently undergoing rehabilitation and recovery under the close supervision of the board’s medical staff. The PCB extended its best wishes to both cricketers for a speedy recovery and confirmed that an updated assessment regarding player fitness and squad composition will be released in due course.
The news comes at a particularly difficult time as Pakistan puts the finishing touches on its preparations for the three-match ODI series, which is scheduled to begin on May 30.
Series Schedule:
- 1st ODI: May 30 — Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
- 2nd ODI: June 2 — Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
- 3rd ODI: June 4 — Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
The series holds added significance as it marks Australia’s first bilateral ODI tour of Pakistan since March-April 2022 — making it a much-awaited return for both teams and their fans.
It is also worth noting that this ODI series follows Australia’s recent T20I tour of Pakistan in January and February, where the home side put on an impressive performance, completing a dominant 3-0 clean sweep against the visitors.
With Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub now unavailable, Pakistan’s batting lineup will need to be reshuffled — and the management will be hoping for no further injury setbacks as the series draws closer.
