Kamal Ghorui
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said the short turnaround from the Big Bash League (BBL) final to the T20I series against Pakistan will not affect his team’s readiness.Marsh and seven other players in the squad featured in the BBL final on Sunday and arrived in Lahore around 24 hours before the first T20I, which begins on Thursday. Marsh said the tight schedule is not a concern, with the focus firmly on the upcoming tri-series and preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which starts on February 7.“I think one of the things about our group and most international teams is that preparation can look different for every tour,” Marsh told the media ahead of the opening match.“The majority of the group have been preparing in Dubai; other guys have been preparing by playing games throughout the Big Bash. We’re ready to go, and we’re looking forward to a great series,” he added.Marsh also addressed the absence of five senior players — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell — who are missing the Pakistan series as they continue to work on their fitness. He confirmed that all five will link up with the squad in Sri Lanka, where Australia will begin their T20 World Cup campaign.“This tour is really important for our World Cup preparations, and we have got some guys that weren’t quite ready to be here; they’re back at home training and preparing to meet us in Sri Lanka, so no stress there from our end,” Marsh said.The Australia captain also spoke about the challenge of playing Pakistan away from home and highlighted the threat posed by their key players.“Winning away from home is always hard, and especially in conditions like this that can be foreign to us, so we’re just really excited about the opportunity. We know that Pakistan has got some amazing cricketers, obviously Babar Azam, Shaheen, but we know that in these conditions, it’s going to be a really good challenge, and that’s one that we’re looking forward to,” he said.“Pakistan has a great history of fast bowlers. No doubt we’ll be looking forward to that challenge, especially obviously. He’s an amazing bowler, and it’s going to be a great challenge for our group,” he added.Australia will play their first match of the T20 World Cup on February 11 in Colombo.
