A last-minute leadership shakeup has hit Australia’s men’s one-day international squad ahead of their highly anticipated three-match series against Pakistan, with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis tapped to step into the captaincy role following an ankle injury to Mitchell Marsh, Cricket Australia announced Tuesday in Islamabad.
Marsh picked up the injury during his recent participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL), forcing him to withdraw from the Lucknow Super Giants’ closing fixture of the tournament and return to his home country for further care. The all-rounder will undergo detailed medical assessment and targeted treatment in Perth once back in Australia, with no clear timeline yet released for his return to competitive play.
This leadership vacancy comes as no small surprise, given Australia is already missing two of its top white-ball leaders for the Pakistan series. Regular 50-over captain Pat Cummins and vice-captain Travis Head have both skipped the tour to remain in India for the IPL playoffs, leaving the squad already short on experienced top-level leadership before Marsh’s injury.
The ODI series is set to kick off this coming Saturday in Rawalpindi, with the two remaining matches scheduled to take place in Lahore on June 2 and June 4 respectively. For Inglis, this captaincy appointment is not uncharted territory. The wicketkeeper-batter already led the Australian side in a series against Pakistan back in November 2024, when a large number of the team’s first-choice players were also unavailable for selection.
Following the conclusion of the Pakistan series, Australia’s men’s squad will travel directly to Bangladesh for a white-ball tour. A number of the team’s star fast bowlers, including Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, have already been confirmed as absentees for both the Pakistan and Bangladesh legs of the back-to-back tour.