Pakistan call 26 cricketers for High Performance Camp in Lahore
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited 26 cricketers to the National High Performance Camp (NHPC) in Lahore on the recommendation of the national chief selectors to train from June 3 (Thursday).
The cricketers will train under world-class coaches headed by former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who is the head of international player development at the NHPC.
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq will also attend the camp alongside two other NHPC coaches - Mohammad Yousuf and Umar Rashid.
The idea behind the camp is to provide the top-performers of domestic cricket and international cricketers, who are not a part of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2021) a competitive environment for training.
"It is very important that we continue to provide a competitive training environment to these cricketers," chief selector Muhammad Wasim said. “This camp provides recognition to the top performers of the 2020-21 domestic season and is a great opportunity for the international players to work on their skills under the tutelage of top coaches.
"I am hopeful that this camp will also serve the purpose of strengthening our back-up pool," he added.
Our focus is to help players from Pakistan work on areas where they need to improve: Saqlain Mushtaq
Pakistan cricketers are advised to assemble in Lahore on June 3 and training will commence the next day.
The 38-day camp will see players divided into white-ball and red-ball groups and will undergo format specific training to enhance their skills.
Saqlain Mushtaq, who heads the NHPC, emphasised that the camp will help cricketers tackle the challenges of a packed cricketing session.
"One of the basic purposes of the National High Performance Camp is to provide the players with top-class facilities and surroundings under which they can continue to up skill.
"Players all over the world use off-season to enhance their skillsets and work on their fitness so they are ready for demanding challenges of a cricket season. Our focus is to help the players, with two-way communication, to understand their game and the areas where they need to improve," Saqlain said.
Players invited for the camp:
Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Ather Mehmood (Northern), Faisal Akram (Southern Punjab), Haris Sohail (Balochistan), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Irfanullah Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Israrullah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mir Hamza (Sindh), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Taha (Sindh), Mubasir Khan (Northern), Mukhtar Ahmed (Southern Punjab), Munir Riaz (Northern), Nauman Ali (Northern), Omair Bin Yousaf (Sindh), Sahibzada Farhan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Irshad (Northern), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Taj Wali (Balochistan), Umer Khan (Southern Punjab), Usman Salahuddin (Central Punjab), Waqar Hussain (Southern Punjab), Yasir Shah (Balochistan) and Zia-ul-Haq (Southern Punjab)