Australia Tour of Pakistan 2026 Begins as Aussies Touch Down in Lahore

The Australian men’s cricket team arrived in Lahore on Wednesday ahead of a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed.

The series will begin on January 29, followed by matches on January 31 and February 1, with all three games scheduled at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Each match will be played as a day-night fixture, with the first ball set to be bowled at 6:00 pm local time. However, the PCB later confirmed that the second and third T20Is will start at 4:00 pm PKT on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

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The series is being viewed as an important preparatory phase for both teams ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where Pakistan and Australia have been placed in separate groups. The PCB announced Australia’s arrival through a video message on social media platform X, stating: “Australia team arrives in Lahore for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan.”

Australia have opted to rest five senior players, including Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis, as part of workload management. They have been replaced by Sean Abbott, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe and Matt Renshaw.
The visiting side will be led by Mitchell Marsh, with a squad that blends experience and emerging talent.

The upcoming contest will mark Australia’s third tour of Pakistan since 2022, when the two teams played a full Test and ODI series, followed by a solitary T20I won by Australia. The Australians also featured in three matches of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan.

Pakistan enter the series after a 1–1 drawn T20I series in Sri Lanka, where one match was abandoned due to rain. The hosts will be captained by Salman Ali Agha and feature key players such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman.

Former Australian Test batter Simon Katich is also set to return to Pakistan as part of the commentary panel. Katich last visited the country in March 2022, when Australia toured Pakistan after a 24-year gap. He will be joined by former Pakistan Test captains Aamir Sohail and Ramiz Raja, former Test batter Bazid Khan, and ex-Pakistan women’s team captain Urooj Mumtaz.

Zainab Abbas will anchor the PCB’s PitchSide Studio, providing pre- and post-match analysis throughout the series. The matches will feature high-definition coverage using 28 cameras, including a buggy cam, while HawkEye and UltraEdge will be part of the Decision Review System (DRS).

Fans in Pakistan can watch the series live on PTV Sports, with digital streaming available on Tamasha, Tapmad and Myco. International broadcasts will be carried by T Sports (Bangladesh), Willow (North America), Cricbuzz (MENA), SuperSport (Africa) and Fox Sports (Australia), while PCB Live will stream the matches for viewers in the United Kingdom.

The series is expected to attract strong fan interest and serve as a key competitive test for both sides ahead of the global tournament.