MELBOURNE: Austr­alia will rest five senior players, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell, for the three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan in Lahore later this month as selectors manage workloads and injuries ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Hard-hitting batter Tim David and fast bowler Nathan Ellis will also miss the series, which begins on Jan 29, with matches on Jan 31 and Feb 1. The tournament proper runs from Feb 7 to March 8.

Chief selector George Bailey said the decision was taken to ensure the players were fully fit for the World Cup.

Cummins, who is recovering from a lower back injury, retu­rned during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide but missed the final two matches against England and will also sit out the Pakistan series.

Hazlewood has been nursing hamstring and Achilles problems, while David has been recovering from a hamstring strain and suffered a minor setback last week. Bailey said both were expected to be fit in time for the World Cup.

“Pat’s a little bit different. He’ll probably join that World Cup group a little bit later in the tournament, around game three or four,” Bailey said, adding that the others were either returning from injury or having their loads managed.

The absences have opened the door for several fringe and younger players, with fast bowler Mahli Beardman and all-rounder Jack Edwards in line to make their international debuts after being named in a 17-man squad.

After the Pakistan series, Australia will travel to Sri Lanka, where they open their World Cup campaign against Ireland in Colombo on Feb 11.

Australia squad: Mitc­hell Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bart­lett, Mahli Beard­man, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwa­r­shuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mat­thew Kuhne­mann, Mitch Owen, Josh Phi­lippe, Mat­thew Rens­haw, Matthew Short, Mar­cus Stoinis and Adam Zampa.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2026