Mitchell Marsh unlikely for Pakistan ODIs as his LSG partner Josh Inglis in fray for Australian captaincy

With no Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Travis Head, Australia might be led by Josh Inglis if Mitchell Marsh misses PAK vs AUS ODIs.

Australia’s Pakistan tour has not even started yet, and they are already having a captaincy headache. Mitchell Marsh, fresh off one of his best IPL seasons with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), is now unlikely to feature in the ODI series.

Mitchell Marsh, who was initially expected to lead the side in Pat Cummins’ absence, is now reportedly in serious doubt for the three-match series. According to CODE Sports, Cricket Australia is already preparing contingency plans, and that could push Marsh’s IPL teammate Josh Inglis into an unlikely leadership role.

No Mitchell Marsh for Australia?

It says a lot about Australia’s current situation that their “fourth-choice white-ball captain” may end up leading the side. With Cummins unavailable, Travis Head rested, and several senior names missing, Australia’s squad already look undercooked. Marsh’s reason for absence is yet to be revealed ahead of the Pakistan tour beginning on May 30.

Interestingly, Marsh had already left LSG before their final IPL 2026 league game against Punjab Kings to join the Australian setup in Pakistan. At the time, it looked like a straightforward national duty switch. Now, his participation itself remains unclear. As of now, Cricket Australia has not issued any official injury statement or clarified the exact nature of the issue.

Australia squad for Pakistan ODIs

Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa

Even though LSG finished bottom of the table, Marsh was comfortably their standout player in IPL 2026. The Australian all-rounder was used purely as a batter this season due to workload management and did not bowl a single over. But with the bat, he carried Lucknow for large parts of the tournament.

Mitchell Marsh IPL 2026 stats

He nearly doubled the tally of Rishabh Pant, who finished as LSG’s second-highest scorer. Marsh also produced some outrageous knocks through the season:

• 111 off 56 vs RCB (His century against RCB became the fastest hundred in LSG history.)
• 90 off 38 vs CSK
• 96 off 57 vs RR

Josh Inglis could now become Australia’s surprise captain

If Marsh is ruled out, Josh Inglis suddenly becomes the leading captaincy candidate. That would have sounded bizarre a year ago, but Inglis has become one of Australia’s most trusted white-ball cricketers. He has already captained the side briefly in patches and is viewed as a tactical thinker inside the setup.

Inglis first captained Australia in November 2024 during a white-ball home series against Pakistan. He served as the interim captain for a T20I series and also led the team in the third ODI as regular skippers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh were rested. Inglis too had a strong IPL season with LSG after initially missing the first month due to personal commitments.

Josh Inglis IPL 2026 stats

Australia’s squad for Pakistan already has a second-string feel to it, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head all unavailable. That opens the door for fringe names and younger players like Ollie Peake and Liam Scott, while Cameron Green also returns.

Australia ODI series vs Pakistan schedule