The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on October 2, announced a 24-day camp from October 8 to October 31 at the National Stadium and Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre. A 27-member squad will undergo be involved in sessions covering skill-work and fitness, and will also play practice matches.
All the players and the support staff will undergo testing at their residence as part of COVID-19 protocols and if tested negative will assemble in Karachi, where they will undergo another round of tests before joining the training group. The players will undergo a third set of testing during the camp and they will adhere to bio-secure protocols at their hotel in Karachi.
Pakistan last played competitive cricket during the T20 World Cup in Australia in March. Bismah Maroof, who led the side during the tournament before getting injured during the match against England, expressed her excitement in getting back to training and said they will be trying to make the most of the camp.
“There is a lot of excitement amongst the players to get back together after seven, eight months,” Maroof said. “Everyone is looking forward to making the most of this camp by working on their skills and fitness.”
Maroof, who has played 216 internationals for Pakistan, feels the players will find it difficult to get into the groove immediately, but on the positive side the break has helped her spend time with family and also work on her fitness.
“It is going to be a bit difficult to carry the rhythm from where we left but the aim should be to work hard and achieve it,” she said.
“I spent a lot of time with my family during the lockdown and I enjoyed it. I spent my time with my husband and in-laws, with whom I had not been able to spend time much because of cricket.”
“As a professional, I had to maintain my fitness to ensure I stay ready to hit the ground running whenever the opportunity arose. So, I focused on fitness work as I used to do running and cardio workouts at sunrise.”
On October 1, PCB appointed David Hemp, former Bermuda cricketer based in Australia, as the new head coach of the Pakistan side. He will start at his position with the high-performance camp and will be overseeing the training.
“We are looking forward to working with David Hemp, the newly appointed head coach, and try to get the best out of ourselves,” Maroof added.
Javeria Khan, who led the side in Maroof’s absence, echoed her captain’s thoughts and wants to work on getting back to her batting rhythm during the camp.
“It is great that we are having this camp at the start of our season as we can get in the rhythm. I will try to make the most of it and get back my batting form,” she said.
“I am very, very excited to get back and feel blessed to be taking the field again to play the sport, which I love. This is a new beginning of sorts as we have a new head coach joining us and the players are getting together after a long time. We will try to enjoy our time together to the fullest.”
Khan, who has represented Pakistan in 204 matches, used the pandemic induced break to pick up a few no hobbies like painting and singing as she spent time with the family.
“It was quite a tough challenge to cope with the halt that Covid-19 had brought. You enjoy breaks of two, three days, but when there is no end to such a long break in sight, you have to find different ways to motivate yourself to keep going,” Khan said.
“So, I picked up the hobbies, which I had left during my school days. I painted and sung, a little bit. I gave time to my family, which was nice.”
32-year-old Khan also used the long break as an opportunity to strengthen her fitness and worked hard to get physically and mentally for the upcoming season.
“We could not compromise on our fitness during this time and this lengthy break provided everyone an opportunity to strengthen their basics in regards to fitness. So, my aim was to enhance my fitness levels so I am ready both physically and mentally for the on-field challenges,” she concluded.
Training squad: Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz and Syeda Aroob Shah
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