Lahore, July 29, 2025: Pakistan’s ODI squad is set to depart from Karachi for the United States on Thursday, ahead of their upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies. The touring party includes top-order batter Babar Azam, pacer Naseem Shah, opener Abdullah Shafique, and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Babar Azam returns to the ODI fold after a brief absence, having last played a 50-over international against New Zealand in April. While he remains out of Pakistan’s current T20I plans — his last appearance in the format was in December 2024 against South Africa — his comeback in the ODIs is seen as a key boost to the squad.
Mohammad Rizwan, who also last featured in a T20I during the same series, will lead the ODI side in the Caribbean leg of the tour, which begins August 8 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.
Meanwhile, the T20I squad — already in the U.S. — has begun final preparations for the three-match series against the West Indies with a high-intensity training session at Central Broward Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Led by stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha, the players underwent a demanding three-hour session focusing on physical conditioning, fielding drills, net practice, and tactical work aimed at sharpening match execution.
The T20I series opener is scheduled for July 31 at the same venue.
The tour follows Pakistan’s recent T20I series in Bangladesh, which ended in a 2-1 defeat — a disappointing result after the side had earlier swept Bangladesh 3-0 at home in May, during head coach Mike Hesson’s debut assignment.
With the ODI series set to follow the T20Is, the team management sees this tour as a crucial opportunity to assess bench strength and fine-tune strategies ahead of future global tournaments.
