PCB adds four players to training camps amid fitness concerns

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made late additions to it's ongoing red-ball and upcoming white-ball training camps at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) as preparations continue for the national team's forthcoming assignments.

According to the board, batters Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam and Hamza Nazar have been added to the red-ball camp, while emerging batter Shahzaib Khan has been included in the white-ball camp squad.

Players participating in the Test camps are currently engaged in scenario-based practice matches at the LCCA Ground, where batters and bowlers have been assigned specific targets and objectives to replicate a variety of match situations, enabling coaches to assess their performances under different conditions.

Sources revealed that the PCB decided to call up additional players for the red-ball camp due to fitness concerns involving several members of Pakistan's Test squad. 

National and academy coaches are closely monitoring players throughout the training programme, with the latest additions to the camps coming amid growing concerns over the fitness of key players ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming Test tours of the West Indies and England.

The red-ball camp, which commenced on 8 June, will run until 10 July, while the white-ball camp is scheduled to continue until 18 September and features 27 players.

Earlier reports suggested that wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and middle-order batter Saud Shakeel remain doubtful for Pakistan’s upcoming Test assignments.

Rizwan, who joined the red-ball camp a week late, is undergoing rehabilitation under the medical staff’s supervision, with a fitness assessment scheduled for 6 July ahead of the West Indies tour.

Meanwhile, Shakeel is also undergoing rehabilitation, and his recovery is being closely monitored. His availability remains uncertain, forcing selectors to consider alternative middle-order options.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan are scheduled to depart for the West Indies on 13 July ahead of their Test campaign later that month.

The two-match Test series against the West Indies will be held in Trinidad and Tobago, with the first Test scheduled from 25 to 29 July and the second from 2 to 6 August.

Following the West Indies tour, Pakistan will turn their attention to England for a three-match Test series. 

The series is set to begin on 19 August at Headingley in Leeds, followed by the second Test at Lord’s on 27 August. The third and final Test will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham, starting on 9 September.