The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially disclosed details regarding the upcoming pre-season fitness and fielding camp, along with the Pakistan Shaheens' training regimen, set to take place at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi.
Commencing on 24 June and concluding on 7 July, the pre-season camp will host 25 cricketers. Following this, a focused training camp for the 15-member Pakistan Shaheens squad is scheduled from 8 to 13 July, specifically designed to gear up for their forthcoming tour to Darwin.
In a recent press release, the PCB outlined the itinerary for the Pakistan Shaheens in Darwin. This includes engaging in two four-day matches against Bangladesh 'A,' participating in two 50-over matches against Northern Territory and Bangladesh, and joining the nine-team Top End T20 Series.
“In Darwin, Pakistan Shaheens will play two four-day matches against Bangladesh ‘A,’ two 50-over matches against Northern Territory and Bangladesh, and also participate in the nine-team Top End T20 Series,” the PCB said in a press release.
The supervision of the Pakistan Shaheens' training camp in Darwin from 8 to 13 July will be under the guidance of Jason Gillespie, the red-ball head coach.
Gillespie will also assume the role of head coach for the team during their time in Darwin before returning to Pakistan after the second four-day match against Bangladesh 'A' on 29 July. He will focus on preparing the national side for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh.
“Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie will supervise the Pakistan Shaheens’ training camp from 8-13 July and will also travel to Darwin as the team’s head coach. He will return to Pakistan after the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which finishes on 29 July, to assume responsibilities as the national side’s head coach and commence preparations for the two-Test series against Bangladesh.
“The pre-season fitness and fielding camp will be supervised by Mohammad Masroor, who will also travel to Darwin as Assistant Coach-cum-Manager. Abdul Rehman will be the white-ball head coach and will join the Pakistan Shaheens side on 28 July for the two 50-over and Top End T20 Series matches from 4-18 August.
“National team players presently involved in competitive cricket in the United Kingdom and those who recently participated in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 have been exempted from the pre-season fitness and fielding camp.”
Players for pre-season fitness and fielding camp - Abdullah Shafique, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Hunain Shah, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir, Umar Amin, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mahmood. One more player will be added to the camp next week.
Pakistan Shaheens - Haseebullah, Hunain Shah, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Huraira, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir and Umar Amin. The captain and one more player will be confirmed in due course.
Player Support Personnel – Jason Gillespie (head coach for red-ball matches, will also supervise camp from 8-13 July), Abdul Rehman (head coach for white-ball matches and will join the side on 28 July), Mohammad Masroor (Assistant coach-cum-manager and camp commandant from 24 June-7 July), Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist), Imranullah (trainer) and Usman Hashmi (analyst).
This marks the second successive year that Pakistan Shaheens will participate in the Darwin series. Last year, the team competed in the six-team Top End T20 Series, followed by 50-over matches against Papua New Guinea (PNG) and NT Strike. The NT Strike defeated Shaheens in the Top End T20 Series final by 46 runs. In the 50-over matches, Pakistan Shaheens triumphed over PNG by 224 runs and Northern Strike by 84 runs.
“The two four-dayers are part of bilateral series fixtures, which Northern Territory Cricket (NTC) are hosting on behalf of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The PCB is scheduled to host Bangladesh A at home in August,” the press release added.
Schedule (all matches in Darwin)