Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has confirmed that Pakistan’s leading cricketers will remain available for the entire duration of the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 15, ending uncertainty around their mid-season availability.

 

The current BBL season features several first-choice Pakistan players, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali. Questions had emerged over their participation after Pakistan’s scheduled a T20I tour of Sri Lanka in early January.

 

Speaking to reporters on the morning of the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval, Greenberg said Cricket Australia had received clear assurances regarding the players’ availability.

 

“We’ve been told that if they’ve been signed by the BBL, they’ll play [the whole BBL],” Greenberg said.

 

Greenberg also confirmed that preparations for Australia’s T20I tour of Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 are progressing. 

 

He said Cricket Australia, along with the Australian Cricketers’ Association, has already sent officials to Pakistan to carry out a pre-tour security assessment.

 

“We’ve just sent a couple of people to Pakistan to do a pre-tour for the T20I games in February,” he said.

 

“We’re going to have some conversations with the players after the Ashes series and explain to them how that will work with security. But I went there with them in 2022, and it was an amazing experience.”

 

Greenberg added that the three-match ODI series between Australia and Pakistan, scheduled under the Future Tours Programme, will shift to June. 

 

The revised window allows the series to take place after the conclusion of both the Pakistan Super League and the Indian Premier League.