Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistan’s stand-in coach Azhar Mahmood have defended the Army training camp undertaken by Pakistani players following injury concerns in the recently concluded New Zealand series. .
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and middle-order batsman Irfan Khan Niazi were left out of the squad for the last two T20Is against New Zealand after sustaining injuries midway through the series.
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Rizwan was forced to leave due to injury as he was forced to leave due to a hamstring injury while batting in the third T20I, while Niazi also appeared to have suffered from a hamstring injury during the same match.
A subsequent announcement by the PCB said that the duo will be “rested” for the fourth and fifth T20Is and will be under the observation of the PCB medical team at the NCA in Lahore.
More than 25 Pakistani cricketers underwent military training at Kakul camp from March 25 to April 8 to improve their fitness levels for the upcoming T20 World Cup. It was believed that the intense level of training over the past two weeks had started to take a toll on the Pakistani players, leading to the injury.
However, during the announcement of Pakistan’s new coach at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, April 28, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and coach Azhar Mahmood refused to condemn the army training camp. .
Read more: Who is the new head coach of Pakistan cricket team?
What did Mohsin Naqvi and Azhar Mahmood say about the injury?
Naqvi admitted that the fitness level of Pakistani cricketers is far behind compared to world cricket players.
Fitness training does not cause injuries. There are various theories about how to keep players fit. Until now, Pakistan’s management has never focused on fitness.
I’m not criticizing the players before me, but look at other players in the world. The fitness of Pakistani players is far below that. This is just the beginning. We need to further strengthen the fitness of our players. If we need to bring in fitness experts from around the world, we will.
Meanwhile, Mahmood, who will take over as assistant coach in all formats after serving as head coach for the New Zealand series, explained that the injury was caused by playing cricket and was not a result of military training. . camp.
Kachru’s training had nothing to do with cricket.players were injured [while] I played cricket and my training was related to physical fitness. If the players had been injured, they would not have been able to play in the first game. And Azam Khan didn’t get injured before the series, he got injured in the nets.
What’s next for Pakistan?
Pakistan will tour Ireland and England in May and play a total of seven T20Is before flying to the Americas for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
