Australia arrive in Lahore for three-match T20I series against Pakistan

Australia team arrives in Lahore on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan. (Screenshot/TheRealPCB/X)
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Updated 28 January 2026
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Australia arrive in Lahore for three-match T20I series against Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Australian cricket team arrived in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday ahead of a three-match men’s Twenty20 International series against the host nation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.

The first T20I will be played on Jan. 29, followed by the second on Jan. 31, with the final match scheduled for Feb. 1. All matches will start at 6 p.m. local time and be played at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium.

The series is expected to provide crucial game time for both teams ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where the sides have been drawn in separate groups.

“Australia team arrives in Lahore for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan,” the PCB said in a video post on X.

Australia is resting five top players including Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwel, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis, who are being replaced by Sean Abbott, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mitch Owen, Josh Phillippe and Matt Renshaw.

The upcoming series will mark Australia’s third tour of Pakistan since 2022, when the two sides played a three-match Test and One Day International (ODI) series, followed by a lone T20I that Australia won.

Australia also played three matches of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.

Pakistan last featured in a three-match T20I away series in Sri Lanka, which ended in a 1–1 draw after the second match was washed out by rain.

Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), 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, Adam Zampa


Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

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Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

  • Finance adviser says repayment shows “decisive shift” toward fiscal discipline, responsible economic management
  • Says Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over $286.6 billion in June 2025 to $284.7 billion in November 2025

KARACHI: Pakistan has repaid Rs3,650 billion [$13.06 billion] in domestic debt before time during the last 14 months, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday, adding that the achievement reflected a shift in the country’s approach toward fiscal discipline. 

Schehzad said Pakistan has been repaying its debt before maturity, owed to the market as well as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since December 2024. He said the government had repaid the central bank Rs300 billion [$1.08 billion] in its latest repayment on Thursday. 

“This landmark achievement reflects a decisive shift toward fiscal discipline, credibility, and responsible economic management,” Schehzad wrote on social media platform X. 

Giving a breakdown of what he said was Pakistan’s “early debt retirement journey,” the finance official said Pakistan retired Rs1,000 billion [$3.576 billion] in December 2024, Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] in June 2025, Rs1,160 billion [$4.150 billion] in August 2025, Rs200 billion [$715 million] in October 2025, Rs494 billion [$1.76 billion] in December 2025 and $1.08 billion in January 2026. 

He said with the latest debt repaid today, the July to January period of fiscal year 2026 alone recorded Rs2,150 billion [$7.69 billion] in early retirement, which was 44 percent higher than the debt retired in FY25.

He said of the total early repayments, the government has repaid 65 percent of the central bank’s debt, 30 percent of the treasury bills debt and five percent of the Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) debt. 

The official said Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over Rs 80.5 trillion [$286.6 billion] in June 2025 to Rs80 trillion [$284.7 billion] in November 2025. 

“Crucially, Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio, around 74 percent in FY22, has declined to around 70 percent, reflecting a broader strengthening of fiscal fundamentals alongside disciplined debt management,” Schehzad wrote. 

Pakistan’s government has said the country’s fragile economy is on an upward trajectory. The South Asian country has been trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.