Davies, Scott and Peake amongst fresh faces for tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh

Sydney Sixers all-rounder Joel Davies was the 2025/26 BBL regular season MVP.
Sydney Sixers all-rounder Joel Davies was the 2025/26 BBL regular season MVP.JEREMY NG / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has forced Australian selectors to cast the net a little wider for Australia's upcoming tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Aussies continue their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in southern Africa with three ODIs in Pakistan (May 30, June 2, June 4) before heading to Bangladesh for three ODIs in Mirpur (June 9, 11 and 14) and three T20Is in Chattogram (June 17, 19 and 21). 

The final of the 2026 IPL takes place on May 30, which has led the Australian selectors to leave out four participants - Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis and Travis Head - for the Pakistan series. 

Captain Mitch Marsh will be withdrawn prematurely from his commitments at Lucknow Super Giants to resume his duties as the ODI and T20I leader, as will Cameron Green and Josh Inglis. 

In their place are the returning trio of Tasmanian fast bowlers Riley Meredith and Billy Stanlake as well as all-rounder Matt Short and his Victorian counterpart Ollie Peake, who burst onto the scene with 145 runs from six innings for the Melbourne Renegades in the recent BBL. 

Peake is no stranger to touring Asia, having been a non-squad member developmental player in Australia's January 2025 tour of Sri Lanka. 

Strikers all-rounder Liam Scott, who scored a team-best 310 runs (avg 51.66) and took five wickets (7.89rpo) in addition to winning South Australia's Sheffield Shield Player of the Tournament award, looks set to make his international debut in both white ball formats.

Having been selected for the Bangladesh T20Is, exciting left-arm fast bowler Spencer Johnson will hopefully make a long-awaited return from a serious stress fracture in his back that ruled him out of the entire 2025-26 summer. 

Spinners Matt Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha will partner up with veteran Adam Zampa in both formats as they jostle to be his eventual long-term successor as spin spearhead.

It’s always exciting to see new players get an opportunity to play international cricket and be a part of the national team," head selector George Bailey said in a media statement.

“The blend of experienced players coupled with new or returning players will provide a nice mix for these subcontinent tours. 

Continuing to provide opportunities for players to develop across a broad range of conditions and experiences is important and will continue to be a focus over the next 18 months to two years across the calendar and with future campaigns in mind.

Pakistan ODI squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Ollie Peake, Matt Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa

Bangladesh ODI squad: 

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa

Bangladesh T20I squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Adam Zampa

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