Australia vs Pakistan T20s: Schedule, Squads & World Cup Warm-Up

Australia is gearing up for a crucial T20 series against Pakistan in Lahore, serving as both vital preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup and an opportunity to evaluate emerging talent. The three-match series kicks off January 29th and will see the Aussies fine-tune their squad before heading to Sri Lanka for a final warm-up.

Mahli Beardman and Jack Edwards are in line to make their international debuts, while Matthew Renshaw aims to establish himself as a player across all three formats for Australia. The series provides a valuable platform for these players to showcase their skills on the international stage.

Following the bilateral matches in Pakistan, Australia will face Pakistan once more in a final warm-up match in Sri Lanka before their World Cup campaign begins on February 11th.

Series schedule

First T20I: January 29, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 10pm AEDT (4pm PKT)

Second T20I: January 31, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 10pm AEDT (4pm PKT)

Third T20I: February 1, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 10pm AEDT (4pm PKT)

How to watch?

Fans can catch all the action live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports. Sign up for a free trial of Kayo Sports here.

How else can I follow?

For the latest news, highlights, and reactions throughout Australia’s T20 tour of Pakistan and the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, visit Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

The Unplayable Podcast will also provide comprehensive coverage of the World Cup, featuring interviews and updates from Sri Lanka and India.

The squads

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Marcus Stonis, Adam Zampa

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis will not be making the trip to Pakistan. Glenn Maxwell has also opted to sit out this tour.

Cummins is not expected to join Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign until later in the tournament as he continues his recovery from a lumbar issue that limited him to a single Test match during the recent Ashes series. Hazlewood was sidelined throughout the Ashes with a hamstring complaint, later complicated by an Achilles issue, while David and Ellis both suffered hamstring injuries during the Big Bash campaign.

Maxwell, though not injured, had a challenging Big Bash season with the Melbourne Stars and has been granted additional time to rest ahead of what could be his final World Cup appearance.

This means Xavier Bartlett is the only specialist quick from the World Cup squad who will participate in Pakistan. Fringe quicks Ben Dwarshuis and Sean Abbott will have the opportunity to prove their worth should reinforcements be needed, and Mahli Beardman is poised to earn his first cap following an impressive Big Bash season.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq

Babar Azam has been named in the Pakistan side after leaving the Sydney Sixers camp on the eve of their Challenger final. The star batter will be relieved to retain his spot in his country’s T20 side after a difficult few weeks in Australia during his maiden BBL campaign.

In positive news for Pakistan fans, left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose BBL|15 stint with the Brisbane Heat was cut short by a knee injury, has recovered and been included in the squad. However, Haris Rauf was overlooked by the selectors despite a successful season with the Melbourne Stars, taking 20 wickets.

Melbourne Renegades’ Muhammad Rizwan also did not make the cut, with Khawaja Nafay selected as the preferred wicketkeeper after an impressive debut against Sri Lanka earlier this month.

Local knowledge

Rapid Stats

• Australia has won its last two multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series against Pakistan (3-0 in November 2024 and 2-0 in November 2019), and also won the one-off T20I in April 2022 by three wickets.
• Pakistan is undefeated in its last three multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series (W2 D1); the last time Pakistan recorded a longer unbeaten run in such series was a span of nine from September 2016 to November 2018 (W9).
• Australia is undefeated in its last five multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series away from home (W4 D1) – their joint-longest unbeaten run on the road in such series in the history of the format.
• Pakistan has won its last six men’s T20Is at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore; a seventh consecutive win in this game would equal their longest winning run at a single venue at home in the history of the format (W7 at National Stadium in Karachi from April 2008 to December 2021).
• Australia has scored 66 percent of its runs from boundaries in men’s T20Is since the beginning of 2025, the best rate of any ICC full member team in that time; they’ve hit a boundary once every 4.5 balls faced which is the most frequent of any Test playing country in the format during this period.
• Only West Indies (42.2 percent) have a higher batting dot ball rate than Pakistan (40.5 percent) amongst ICC full member teams in men’s T20Is since the beginning of 2025.
• Only India’s Ishan Kishan (224.4 from 41 balls faced) has a better batting strike rate during the Powerplay than Australia’s Tim David (215.6 from 45 balls faced) and Cameron Green (214.7 from 34 balls faced) amongst players from ICC full member teams in men’s T20Is since the beginning of 2025 (min. 15 balls faced during Powerplay).
• Adam Zampa (Australia) has a bowling average of 6.5 during the death overs (17th-20th) in men’s T20Is since the beginning of 2025, the second best of any player (min. 5 overs bowled) from an ICC full member team during this period (Kuldeep Yadav – 2.6 for India).

Players to watch

Sahibzada Farhan: The powerfully-built right-hander will anchor the top of the Pakistan order and has been in excellent form recently. He was his side’s leading scorer at the Asia Cup in September and delivered a match-winning half-century against Sri Lanka earlier this month. Farhan made his international debut against Australia back in 2018 during a tri-series in Zimbabwe. A late bloomer, 34 of his 37 T20Is have come in the past 24 months.

Ben Dwarshuis: Following another strong BBL campaign where he claimed 16 wickets with an economy rate under eight (7.85), Dwarshuis sees this series as a prime opportunity to push for further Australian honors. Named by selection chair George Bailey as a potential T20 World Cup replacement for Pat Cummins if the Test captain doesn’t recover in time, Dwarshuis offers a unique dimension with his left-arm pace following Mitch Starc’s retirement from the format. Dwarshuis made his T20I debut the last time Australia played in Pakistan, in April 2022.

Form Guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: no result

Australia: NLLWNWNWWL

Australia’s recent form is somewhat mixed, following a 2-1 series loss to India at home over the summer, with washouts in Canberra and Brisbane. However, they have been strong in recent times: before the India series they won 2-0 in New Zealand – with a match washed out – before winning 2-1 against South Africa in Australia’s top end last August. Prior to that, Australia had won eight consecutive T20Is, a run that began with a 3-0 win against Pakistan at home in November 2024.

Pakistan: LNWWLWWWWW

Pakistan lost their most recent match against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, drawing a series 1-1. Before that, they won four of five matches in a tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, including the final, all played in Rawalpindi. They won both of their most recent matches in Lahore against South Africa last October. They last hosted Australia for a one-off match during Australia’s historic 2022 tour, which the Aussies won by three wickets.

Then it’s on to the T20 World Cup

Following this series, Australia will relocate to Colombo for the T20 World Cup.

Australia’s Group Stage fixtures

February 11: v Ireland, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (8:30pm AEDT)

February 13: v Zimbabwe, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (4:30pm AEDT)

February 16: v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 17, 12:30am AEDT)

February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)

Australia’s Super Eight fixtures

(Assuming all seeded teams qualify)

February 23: Australia (X2) v West Indies (X3), Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Feb 24, 12:30am AEDT)

February 26: India (X1) v Australia (X2), MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Feb 27, 12:30am AEDT)

March 1: Australia (X2) v South Africa (X4), Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30pm AEDT

Click here for the full tournament schedule

All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video