New Delhi, May 23 -- Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson sees the upcoming ODI series against Australia at home as an apt opportunity to test the players' mettle ahead of next year's ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2026.

The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled from May 30 to June 4 in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Pakistan announced a 16-member squad on Friday. Set to be led by pacer Shaheen Afridi, the squad sees the return of key players, including Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Sufyan Moqim, who had missed the ODI series against Bangladesh in March. Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas and Rohail Nazir are the three uncapped players in the squad.

Notably, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub are still recovering from...