Australia were hit with an injury blow before the three-ODI series against Pakistan. Already a second-string side with several seniors rested due to their workload in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, stand-in skipper Mitchell Marsh was ruled out due to a ankle injury and fatigue. Ahead of the series opener on May 30, Australia have added young Cooper Connolly to the squad. However, he won't be available to play in the first ODI.
Connolly wasn’t added to the squad earlier as Punjab Kings (PBKS) were alive in the playoffs race. Connolly was already a part of the limited-overs tour of Bangladesh where he was set to replace Matthew Short. With Marsh injured and PBKS out of the tournament, Connolly is available for the three-ODI series against Shaheen Afridi-led Pakistan.
Connolly has had a breakout IPL season under the tutelage of head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer. Batting at no.3, replacing his current Australia captain Josh Inglis, he excelled. In his debut IPL season, the young southpaw scored 491 runs at an average of 44.63 and strike rate of 163.12. He scored a century and two fifties for the franchise.
Connolly has played eight ODIs so far and scored 94 runs from five innings. His solitary ODI half-century came against India in October 2025 in Adelaide. He has six wickets to his name at an average of 22.83, including a fifer against South Africa last year.
However, it is not clear whether Connolly has been cleared to bowl. During the IPL 2026, he was prohibited from bowling by Cricket Australia. He flew back to Australia during the season but it is yet to be seen whether he is fit to bowl or not.
Australia’s updated squad for ODIs vs Pakistan-
Josh Inglis (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa, Cooper Connolly.
Pakistan vs Australia ODI series schedule
The ODI series will commence at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The next two ODIs will be played at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on June 2 and 4 respectively.