Lahore, May 25,2026: Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has stressed the importance of carefully managing senior fast bowlers as the team builds toward the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Australia are set to tour Pakistan for a three-match ODI series under stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh, with matches scheduled in Rawalpindi and Lahore from May 30 to June 4.
However, the squad will be without key fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood—all central figures in Australia’s 2023 World Cup-winning campaign.
McDonald said the decision reflects a long-term strategy aimed at ensuring the experienced pace trio remains fit and available for the next global tournament.
“I think people look at the immediate games and go, ‘Well, why aren’t they playing there?’” McDonald said. “But if you actually work back from 2027 and look at what we’ve got coming up, this is the last significant break that we get to invest into their bodies.”
He added that the focus is on ensuring the senior bowlers are physically prepared to handle the demands of a long international cycle leading into 2027.
Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood were instrumental in Australia’s 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup triumph, taking a combined 47 wickets during the tournament. However, the trio have not played an ODI together since November 2024.
McDonald noted that workload management is becoming increasingly important as the squad’s core fast-bowling unit ages and faces periodic injury setbacks.
“We are getting older, so that’s going to create some different management challenges,” he said. “They’ve been incredibly robust, but a few have had recent injury setbacks, and we need to invest time in keeping them fit and available.”
He concluded that Australia’s planning is firmly focused on ensuring the key bowlers are in peak condition for the 2027 World Cup campaign.
