PCB launches skills development camp at NCA

LAHORE: The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore is set to host a comprehensive 20-day Skills Development Camp beginning Monday, June 16, with a total of 47 elite cricketers earmarked for participation in three phases.

The initiative, steered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), aims to sharpen individual skillsets and physical conditioning ahead of a packed international schedule. The first batch of 15 players—including senior names like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Naseem Shah, as well as promising talents like Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, and Abrar Ahmed—will undergo training from June 16 to 21.

The second and third groups, each comprising 16 players, will report on June 22 and June 30 respectively. Director High-Performance Aqib Javed underscored the strategic value of the camp: > “It provides a rare pause from match play and a platform for one-on-one coaching and targeted refinement. We’re working closely with national team coach Mike Hesson to ensure players leave with clarity, technical polish, and renewed focus.”

Training sessions will follow a structured format, featuring morning fielding and fitness drills (6:00–8:00am) and afternoon skill sessions (2:30–6:30pm) at LCCA Ground and NCA. Match simulations are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays, simulating competitive intensity.

The camp will serve a dual purpose: providing developmental value for players while also informing selectors as they shape squads for the Pakistan men’s team and the Pakistan Shaheens, ahead of upcoming series against Bangladesh, the West Indies, and a Shaheens tour to England in July.

This initiative reflects the PCB’s evolving approach toward format-specific preparation, youth integration, and performance-based selection pipelines.