The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that opening batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman will not be available for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against Australia, starting in less than two weeks.
Both players are currently recovering from injuries and are under the care of the PCB medical team.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed that both players are rehabilitating and have been advised to continue their recovery with the PCB medical staff. Therefore, they will not be considered for the ODI series,” said the official statement.
The PCB has not yet announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against the current world champions. Pakistan will need to find new openers for the series against Australia.
In-form T20I batter Sahibzada Farhan may be selected. The 30-year-old made his ODI debut in the recent series against Bangladesh, scoring 64 runs. Since then, he has accumulated 380 runs in the Pakistan Super League, averaging 42.22.
Former captain Babar Azam is also a strong candidate for the ODI team. He scored 580 runs in the PSL while leading Peshawar Zalmi to the title.
Pakistan enters the series against Australia after losing their previous series against Bangladesh 2-1.
They will face a rotated Australian team missing fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, along with batsman Travis Head. Opening batsman Mitchell Marsh will captain the side, which includes Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, and Adam Zampa.
The three-match series will begin on Saturday, May 30, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the following two matches scheduled in Lahore.