In a massive development, Cricket Australia (CA) has named the star opening batsman, Travis Head, as the new captain of the Australia National Cricket Team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
However, permanent captaincy has not been handed to Travis Head, and he will just be serving as the team captain in the T20I series opener against the Pakistan National Cricket Team.
Mitchell Marsh rested as Travis Head gets Australia captaincy
The Australia National Cricket Team are currently in Pakistan for a three-match T20I series, which will offer them good preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Australia.
The first match of the series between the teams is set to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday, January 29.
A few hours before the match, the Aussies have announced their playing XI for the game, and it features a massive surprise
Mitchell Marsh is not named the skipper; instead, Travis Head will be leading the team. Marsh has been provided with rest ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, as just a few days back, he finished his BBL stint.
In another major development, Mahli Beardman and Jack Edwards are set to make their international debuts in the first T20I against Pakistan, while Matthew Renshaw will be playing his first T20I
Australia Playing XI for 1st T20I vs Pakistan:
Travis Head (C), Matthew Short, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman
Also Read: Ajinkya Rahane openly mocks Pakistan, dares Mohsin Naqvi to actually quit T20 World Cup
This tour is really important for our World Cup preparations – Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh, while speaking at the pre-match press conference, stated that they are looking forward to a great series against the Men in Green.
“I think one of the things about our group and most international teams is that preparation can look different for every tour,” Mitchell Marsh told the media ahead of their opening match.
“The majority of the group have been preparing in Dubai; other guys have been preparing by playing games throughout the Big Bash. We’re ready to go, and we’re looking forward to a great series,” he added.
“This tour is really important for our World Cup preparations, and we have got some guys that weren’t quite ready to be here; they’re back at home training and preparing to meet us in Sri Lanka, so no stress there from our end,” said Marsh.
Mitchell Marsh further praised Pakistani fast bowlers, including Shaheen Afridi and said that they would pose a big challenge for the Aussies.
“Winning away from home is always hard, and especially in conditions like this that can be foreign to us, so we’re just really excited about the opportunity. We know that Pakistan has got some amazing cricketers, obviously Babar Azam, Shaheen, but we know that in these conditions, it’s going to be a really good challenge, and that’s one that we’re looking forward to,” he said.
“Pakistan has a great history of fast bowlers. No doubt we’ll be looking forward to that challenge, especially obviously. He’s an amazing bowler, and it’s going to be a great challenge for our group,” Mitchell Marsh added.
Notably, Australia have rested the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis for the series as the above-mentioned names are still recovering from their injuries.
