Mitchell Marsh to miss Pakistan ODIs with ankle injury

Australian all-rounder and stand-in skipper Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the ODI series against Pakistan due to an ankle injury. As confirmed by an official statement from Cricket Australia, the 34-year-old is set to miss the ODI series

The all-rounder, playing for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, missed the final game of the season as he was set to join the Australia squad early. Marsh is now set to remain in Perth for further assessment, only after which his participation in the subsequent white-ball series against Bangladesh, where he was once again set to lead the side, will be determined.

Marsh was set to lead in the absence of skipper Pat Cummins, who is sitting out after his participation in the IPL. Cummins came into the tournament after recovering from a lumbar stress issue, which saw him miss four of the five Ashes Tests in the summer and the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Australia were eliminated in the group stages. 

Marsh is coming on the back of a fantastic season in the IPL. Despite LSG finishing last in the season, Marsh scored 563 runs in 13 games at a whopping strike rate of 163.18. He scored three half-centuries and one century, completing a second successive 500-plus run season. He has been playing for the Super Giants as a pure batter due to workload concerns since 2025 and has been one of their mainstays with the bat.

The statement further confirmed that Josh Inglis is set to lead the side in Marsh’s absence. Inglis is the fourth-choice skipper after Cummins, Marsh and Travis Head, who, along with Cummins, is currently at the IPL with the Sunrisers Hyderabad as they made their way to the playoffs. Inglis took over the side for one game in an ODI against Pakistan in late 2024. Inglis is also coming off a fantastic IPL season, scoring 266 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 186.01, slotting in at the top of the order with Marsh after joining the season late due to his wedding.

Head, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshius will return to Australia’s squad for the white-ball series in Bangladesh, which follows the series in Pakistan. In Marsh’s absence, 19-year-old starlet Ollie Peake could make his debut in yellow. 

The first ODI will be played on May 30 in Rawalpindi. 

Australia squad for ODI series vs Pakistan:

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