ISLAMABAD: Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub have been ruled out of Pakistan’s upcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia due to injury concerns, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on Wednesday.
In a statement, the PCB said both players are currently undergoing rehabilitation under the supervision of the board’s medical panel and will not be available for selection for the series scheduled to begin on May 30.
The board said the decision was taken as part of ongoing fitness management, adding that both cricketers are expected to continue recovery programmes before returning to competitive cricket.
“Consequently, they have been ruled out of selection for the ODI series. The PCB wishes both players a speedy recovery and looks forward to seeing them return to competitive cricket at the earliest opportunity,” the statement said.
The three-match ODI series is scheduled to begin on May 30 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the second and third matches set to be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on June 2 and June 4 respectively. All matches will start at 4:30pm local time.
The series marks Australia’s return to Pakistan for a 50-over bilateral assignment since their 2022 tour, when Pakistan secured a 2–1 series win. Earlier, Australia also toured Pakistan for a T20I series in early 2024, which Pakistan won 3–0 in Lahore.
The PCB is expected to announce replacements and further updates on squad composition and player fitness in the coming days.