PCB plans camps for senior, A teams next month

LAHORE: New Test coach Jason Gillespie will arrive next month to oversee a training camp in Karachi for national and Pakistan A team probable players.

This camp prepares the team for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh in August.

Pakistan’s Test captain, Shan Masood, will return early from England to lead the training camp. Masood reportedly requested Babar Azam’s inclusion in the Test squad but the PCB is considering giving some senior players rest to assess backup talent.

Mohsin Naqvi, PCB chairman, is expected to give details about the team next week. He’ll likely address the T20 World Cup shortcomings and team selection issues.

A 25-player Pakistan A contingent will also attend a pre-season fitness and fielding camp in Karachi (June 24th - July 7th).

A select group of 15 players from this camp will then participate in the Pakistan Shaheens training camp (July 8th - 13th). The Shaheens will embark on a tour to Darwin, Australia.

Coach Gillespie will supervise the Shaheens training camp and accompany them to Darwin for the four-day matches. He’ll return to Pakistan before the Bangladesh series to focus on the national team’s training. Mohammad Masroor (Assistant Coach-cum-Manager) and Abdul Rehman (Head Coach for white-ball matches) will support Gillespie.

Players currently in England or recently involved in the T20 World Cup will be exempt from the pre-season camp.

Players for pre-season fitness and fielding camp - Abdullah Shafique, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Hunain Shah, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir, Umar Amin, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mahmood. One more player will be added to the camp next week.

Pakistan A squad – Haseebullah, Hunain Shah, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Huraira, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir and Umar Amin. Captain and one more player will be confirmed in due course.

Player Support Personnel – Jason Gillespie (head coach for red-ball matches, will also supervise camp from 8-13 July), Abdul Rehman (head coach for white-ball matches and will join the side on 28 July), Mohammad Masroor (Assistant coach-cum-manager and camp commandant from 24 June-7 July), Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist), Imranullah (trainer) and Usman Hashmi (analyst).