Cricket players during a training session at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunwkhawa province. X photo

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Star cricketer Babar Azam has joined a fitness camp in Kakul, Abbottabad, organised in collaboration with the Pakistan army, strategically designed to prepare the players for the upcoming series and tournaments, including the home T20I series against New Zealand, the away T20I series against Ireland and England, and the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.

Earlier, all the national cricketers have been getting training at the academy for the first time and they are still there as Azam became part of them.

The camp will conclude on April 8. It focuses on team building and aims to enhance the physical and mental strength of the players, ensuring they are in the best condition to face the challenges ahead.

Under the guidance of experienced trainers and coaches, the players undergo a comprehensive training regime tailored to elevate their fitness levels, agility, leadership and strategic thinking and overall performance on the field.

Fitness has been a major issue confronting the national cricketers. That is why their fitness was tremendously improved at the famous academy that is meant for the officer recruits of the Pakistan army for decades.

Meanwhile, the selectors are trying to persuade Babar Azam to take up the role of captain for T20Is. This decision was taken in a meeting of Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the selectors.

The PCB initially wants Babar to assume the captaincy until the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, Babar is inclined towards a more long-term commitment as captain. He has communicated to the PCH his wish to lead across all formats if he were to consider captaining the T20I team. The selectors are endeavouring to assure Babar that he will wield complete authority as captain.

Babar’s return would mean Shan and Shaheen’s respective Test and T20 international captaincy stints would stay limited to just one series each and the PCB’s ignorance towards the duo’s position as a stakeholder in the situation may cost it the Pakistan dressing room’s stability.

According to sources, many in PCB believe that the organisation has made a mistake by not keeping Shaheen in the loop over captaincy and by just informing the pacer about its decision to bring Babar back as skipper.