Waqar to hold bowlers camp at Gaddafi Stadium

LAHORE: With one eye on the series against Australia, Pakistan’s bowling coach Waqar Younis will hold a bowlers camp at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

The national selection committee has invited 15 high-performing bowlers from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the ongoing National T20 Cup as well as fast bowlers M Abbas and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the weekend camp.

The purpose of the camp is to provide the selectors better insight on the fitness and form of the bowlers that can further assist them while picking the T20I and Test sides. It will also give the bowlers an opportunity to understand their shortcomings and ways to improve their skills in the upcoming domestic matches. Fast bowlers Abbas and Shaheen will be back in action after missing domestic matches. Abbas was given a break after the third round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to strategically manage his workload and fatigue, while Shaheen will return after for the first time since picking up dengue fever in August. Chief selector and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, and Test captain Azhar Ali will also monitor the camp.

The T20I and Test squads for the Australia tour will be announced by chief selector and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq at 215pm on Monday, 21 October, in media conference at the Far End, Gaddafi Stadium.

Bowlers invited for the camp are: Bilal Asif, Bilawal Bhatti, Imran Khan Snr, Kashif Bhatti, M Abbas, M Irfan Junior (Slow left-arm), Musa Khan, M Mohsin, Naseem Shah, Rahat Ali, Sameen Gul, Shaheen Shah AfridiTabish Khan, Yasir Shah and Zahid Mehmood.