Pakistan’s West Indies-bound squad has assembled in Rawalpindi to take part in a pre-series camp before flying to the Caribbean for the two-Test tour.
Pakistan train ahead of two-match Test series
Overseen by the coaching staff, the players held a three-hour-long training session. The first Test, set to begin on July 25, will be Pakistan’s first international assignment since the ODI series against Australia in May-June.
Pakistan are heading into a busy couple of months with two Test series planned, but more than that, it is the changes made ahead of these series that will attract attention. The board recalled Babar Azam as the Test captain after removing Shan Masood from the role after approximately two and a half years.
Babar will take over a struggling Pakistan side, who are currently at the foot of the World Test Championship table. Pakistan’s red-ball head coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed, has expressed his hope that Babar will do well in the role.
“I had a conversation with Test captain Babar, and we expect good results from his captaincy,” said Sarfaraz during a media interaction here on Wednesday.
Will Pakistan’s sweeping changes bear fruit?
Pakistan have also named a largely renewed bowling attack for the series, as they rested pacers including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Hasan Ali.
While the batting unit remains largely unchanged, batter Saud Shakeel has been left out of the West Indies series and could miss out on the following England tour, should his fitness fail to improve. Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan’s inclusion was also uncertain, but his fitness tests have shown positive signs, which is why he was named in both series.
“There was a camp earlier in which fitness issues arose, some of which were resolved, while others will be addressed in the camp starting tomorrow,” he added.
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