Australia’s summer of cricket officially begins in just a few days time, this year against Pakistan in a two-week long white-ball tour.

On Monday afternoon, the two teams will kick off proceedings in Melbourne with the first of three one-day internationals – followed by three more clashes in the T20 format.

The series will be Australia’s only look at international white-ball cricket this summer, with India’s tour of the nation later this month featuring five Test matches.

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Australia will start the series with nearly a full set of stars in their ODI squad, with all of captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne putting their hand up for the first three matches of the international summer.

The quartet will not however line up for the following three T20I matches, as they fine tune themselves for the India Test series starting on November 22 in Perth.

Superstars Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh are the only big names not included in either Australian squad, currently on paternal leave.

In addition, Hazlewood will be unavailable for at least the first one-day game, as he is currently playing in a NSW Sheffield Shield game scheduled to finish on the first day of the ODI series.

As the reigning world champions, the hosts will consider themselves favourites to walk away winners in the ODI series – up against a Pakistan side who have not played a 50-over match in nearly a year; and not since that World Cup Australia won.

The recent retirement of David Warner in addition to the absence of Marsh and Head is set to give Matt Short a solid run at the top of the order for Australia, as well as one of Jake Fraser-McGurk or Josh Inglis.

One way or another, Inglis will play for the Aussies – but whether he opens remains to be seen.

Fraser-McGurk played two one-day internationals for Australia last summer against the West Indies, registering fast-paced scores of 50 and 16.

Inglis has undoubtedly been in the better form of the duo, but the two-gamer is widely regarded by the nation as a player of the future with an unmatched ceiling – meaning that with Head and Marsh absent, these three games could act as another chance to expose him at the highest level.

As for Pakistan, their new white-ball coach and former South Australia mentor Jason Gillespie will tour his home country for the first time, having been appointed into the role just days ago after South African Gary Kirsten quit the role.

His side recently defeated England 2-1 in a three-test series at home, and will come to Australia full of confidence.

Wicketkeeper-bat Mohammad Rizwan will lead the side in both formats, and holds excellent records with the stick in ODI and T20I cricket.

FIXTURES

1st ODI, 4 November: Australia vs Pakistan — MCG, Melbourne (2:30pm AEDT)

2nd ODI, 8 November: Australia vs Pakistan — Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (2:30pm AEDT)

3rd ODI, 10 November: Australia vs Pakistan — Optus Stadium, Perth (2:30pm AEDT)

1st T20I, 14 November: Australia vs Pakistan — The Gabba, Brisbane (7pm AEDT)

2nd T20I, 16 November: Australia vs Pakistan — SCG, Sydney (7pm AEDT)

3rd T20I, 18 November: Australia vs Pakistan — Bellerive Oval, Hobart (7pm AEDT)

HOW TO WATCH

All six games will be broadcast exclusively on Foxtel and Kayo on Australia’s only dedicated 24/7 cricket channel FOX CRICKET.

Catch all the international action every Australian summer on Foxtel.

Watch every game of the Australia vs Pakistan ODI and T20I series live and ad-break free on Australia’s only dedicated 24/7 cricket channel with the best commentary team Australia has to offer.

SQUADS

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

Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Australia T20I squad: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan T20I squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan