Pakistan Cricket Board names 20 players for pre-season camp at the NCA

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named 20 cricketers for a pre-season camp, scheduled to take place from August 19 to September 7 at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). In the first two days of the camp, the fitness training will take place following which the 17-day conditioning camp will get underway on August 22 and will continue until September 7.

The camp is expected to be set up for a rigorous cricketing season, which starts with the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, starting September 12. The National T20 Cup and the Pakistan Cup One-Day tournament will also be played in the next cricket season. Moreover, Pakistan will play six World Championship Tests, three ODIs and nine T20Is in the forthcoming season.

Azhar Ali will join the camp from the outset after completing his stint with Somerset in the English County Championship as per reports in India Today. Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas, and Mohammad Amir, who are playing for Somerset, Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Essex, respectively, haven’t been included.

Misbah-ul-Haq to plan the training camp at the NCA

They will be coming back to Pakistan for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. During the pre-season camp, the players will undergo fielding drills, net sessions and various other cricket activities. Misbah-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan skipper, will be planning the training programme with the help of the NCA support staff.

“This conditioning camp is of great significance. The players will undergo strenuous training sessions to prepare for a demanding season, which will see Pakistan spend 30 of their 42 cricket-playing days in Test cricket,” Zakir Khan, Director, International Cricket, was quoted as saying.

“Ahead of the Sri Lanka series, these players will be a part of the initial rounds of what will be a highly competitive Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. So, this camp will further benefit them in gearing up for an exciting cricketing season,” the director added.

Here’s the list of 20 players:

Centrally contracted: Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah.

Non-contracted players: Asif Ali, Bilal Asif, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mir Hamza, Rahat Ali, and Zafar Gohar.

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