Australia ODI Squad vs Pakistan: Pat Cummins Returns as Captain; Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh on Paternity Leave

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Pat Cummins returns as captain of Australia for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan before the highly-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series.

World Cup-winning skipper Cummins returns to the side after missing the white-ball tour of England ealier this year, but Australia will miss the presence of the destructive duo of Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh.

Marsh and Head, who featured in the T20I and ODI series in England last month, will miss the three ODIs due to paternity leave with both stars having babies due in the coming weeks.

Cummins will captain the 14-player squad that also doesn't feature young all-rounder Cameron Green. The 25-year-old has been sidelined for the entire season after deciding to go for a back surgery.

Australian Chair of Selectors George Bailey wants to test the balance of the squad in their last ODI series before next year's ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

"This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy, and the balance of the squad was focussed on that as well as continuing to focus on the preparation of individuals for the upcoming Test Summer," Bailey said in a statement by Cricket Australia.

"The one-day side had a great result in the UK, particularly given illness and injury challenges. We view this as an opportunity to expand on that achievement in preparation for next February in Pakistan," he added.

The ODI series sees the return of experienced all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who has not represented Australia in the format since the 2023 World Cup. He wasn't a part of Australia's 50-over setup during their recent tour of the UK despite featuring in the T20I series.

Stoinis hasn't played a single domestic one-day game for Western Australia at the start of the summer. Despite not having a contract and minimal appearances in the format, he has entered the discussions for the marquee event in light of Green's recent setback.

Josh Inglis has been named as the sole wicketkeeper for the series. Alex Carey, who delivered strong performances for the Baggy Greens against England on his ODI return, has been left on the sidelines.

With Head and Marsh out of the picture, Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk will have an opportunity to cash in by seizing their chances against Pakistan. Short starred for Australia in the UK tour, while the young Fraser-McGurk didn't get an opportunity in the ODIs.

Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott and Glenn Maxwell retain their spots from last month's games alongside all-rounders Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly.

The three-match series will begin on November 4 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and will conclude at the Optus Stadium on November 10. Australia is yet to name its squad for the three T20Is that will follow up after the conclusion of the ODI series. Here is a look at the Australian ODI squad for Pakistan series:

Australia ODI squad vs Pakistan

Pat Cummins (captain), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.