Pakistani cricketers will join the Pakistan Army for a ten-day training camp from March 25 to April 8 before the upcoming series and the T20 World Cup, Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi said on Tuesday.
Mohsin Naqvi made this announcement in a hotel in Islamabad while meeting national team players. The camp will begin around a week after the PSL season concludes, and Naqvi said it would help players get their conditioning “up to speed.”
According to details, the camp is scheduled at the Kakul military academy from March 25 to April 8 ahead of the upcoming series against New Zealand which will address player fitness concerns.
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“When I was watching the matches in Lahore, I don’t think a single one of you hit a six that went into the stands,” he added. “Whenever I saw a six like that, I assumed it was struck by a foreign player.
Despite players having limited time to rest and recover, the camp has been arranged for Ramadan, immediately following the conclusion of the PSL 9.
To emphasize the significance of the decision, the PCB chairman cited previous Army training camps for cricketers in 2016 that resulted in Pakistan topping the Test rankings under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq.
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In addition, when addressing the players, Naqvi highlighted the importance of team merit. He stressed that the team will be selected completely on merit, with no individual preferences considered.
“The most promising thing is that merit will be kept in front, I don’t want to criticize anyone”, he added. He further reiterated that the entire selection committee will go if merit is broken and that only deserving players will get the chance.
Furthermore, he stated that if the players are playing well, they will be selected for the team, I will never say that the players should sacrifice.