Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood unlikely for Pakistan ODIs as dates overlap with IPL

Australia's three-match ODI tour will begin on May 30 in Rawalpindi before the final two matches are played on June 2 and 4 in Lahore, with the IPL playoffs running until May 31

Alex Malcolm

Published: May 7, 2026, 6:17 AM (1 hr ago)

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc are among a host of Australians who look set to miss a three-match ODI tour of Pakistan later this month as the dates clash with the end of IPL 2026.

PCB confirmed on Thursday that Australia's tour will begin on May 30 in Rawalpindi before the final two matches are played on June 2 and 4 in Lahore. The tour is the second half of a white-ball tour that began with three T20Is prior to the T20 World Cup back in January, with the ODIs moved to May-June owing to the crammed schedule.

Australia then travel straight to Bangladesh for three ODIs and three T20Is starting on June 9.

The IPL's regular season ends on May 24 with the playoffs set to run from May 26 to May 31. Australia's ODI squad is set to head to Pakistan on May 23 and those involved in the IPL playoffs will unlikely be part of the tour. Cummins, Hazlewood, Travis Head, Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett are almost certain to be unavailable given Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) sit first and second on the table. Hazlewood's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are third.

Starc's Delhi Capitals (DC) sit in seventh, while Cameron Green's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are eighth and could get there with an exceptional run of results. ODI vice-captain Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis should be available given Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are almost out of the playoff equation. Matt Short is another with sixth-placed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - Short has been on the fringe of Australia's ODI team.

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Regardless of their availability, it is understood CA was unlikely to risk Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc for either the Pakistan or Bangladesh series unless the selectors and medical staff deemed it necessary for them to keep bowling after entering the IPL late because of their respective injuries. But the need to keep the trio fresh ahead of a run of 20 (possibly 21) Tests in 12 months that begins at home against Bangladesh in August may see them ruled out entirely.

Cummins, the ODI captain, has only played two white-ball internationals for Australia since their World Cup triumph in 2023, both coming in November 2024. If he misses the tours, his next ODI assignment may be the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa in September, which will be a perfect lead in to the South Africa Test tour in October.

Head will fall in a similar category as Australia's three-format opener. He could well be rested after the IPL in order to freshen up for the monster schedule coming up. Green also remains in Australia's first-choice side in all three formats despite questions around his form and place. Australia's selectors may see value in taking him to Pakistan and Bangladesh given batting in spinning conditions, albeit in ODI cricket, could have some relevance to next year's Test tour of India.

As was the case in the T20 tour of Pakistan prior to the T20 World Cup, Australia could pick a young side although experienced campaigners like Alex Carey, Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne are available alongside Matt Renshaw, who has locked himself into Australia's white-ball set-up on form. Nathan Ellis is reportedly back bowling after suffering a hamstring tendon injury at the back end of the home summer which ruled him out of a stint at the IPL.

Legspinner Tanveer Sangha, young Victoria batter Ollie Peake and uncapped spin-bowling allrounders Joel Davies and Nikhil Chaudhary have travelled to Brisbane to train with Australia's coaching staff this week with further camps to come before the team departs.

Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo

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