Pakistan's hard-hitting batter Fakhar Zaman has discussed the national team's training camp dynamics during the holy month of Ramadan aiming to regain fitness for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting from April 18 in Rawalpindi.
In a recent interview with TSFP, Zaman highlighted the adjustments made in their regimen to accommodate the fasting schedule, which he feels contributed positively to the team's preparation and cohesion.
"It was quite tough when I was here back in 2018, but this time, it wasn't so tough, due to the holy month of Ramadan," Zaman said.
"The training they conduct here is tough, but since it was Ramadan, they took great care and lightened the workload a bit.
"When your fitness is good, you also get good results, and our aim here was to build team bonding, which worked well. The training sessions, both on and off, have been excellent, and of course, there will be benefits from that," he added.
The left-handed batter was particularly impressed by teammate Azam Khan, whose dedication and hard work caught everyone off guard.
"What impressed me the most is what Azam Khan has done. We were not expecting him to undergo such tough training, and naturally, his physique is such that we didn't anticipate him to take up such challenges. Despite that, the way he has pushed himself, even climbing mountains when we were hiking, I mean, we couldn't believe he would make it to the top. If we all show such courage, it could be very beneficial," he concluded.
On 25th April, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee announced 29 players for a training camp at an Army base in Kakul from March 26.
The training camp wrapped up on April 6, after which the players journeyed to Rawalpindi for an Iftar dinner organized by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on April 8.
The Blackcaps landed in Islamabad today and are scheduled to play three T20Is at Rawalpindi's Pindi Cricket Stadium on April 18, 20, and 21. Following these matches, the teams will move to Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium for the final two T20Is on April 25 and 27.
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan
Reserves: Haseebullah, Mohammad Ali, Agha Salman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Wasim Jr
New Zealand squad:
Michael Bracewell (c), Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Zak Foulkes, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (WK), Ish Sodhi
Series schedule: