Pakistan cricketers to train with army before T20 World Cup to 'hit big sixes'

Pakistan's cricketers are set to undergo a 10-day training camp with their army from March 25 to April 8. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi made the announcement in Islamabad on Tuesday (March 5) with the camp commencing around the week after the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) concludes.

Notably, Naqvi isn't happy with the fitness of players and their inability to hit big sixes. As for the camp, it has been organised in Kakul amidst busy cricket schedule of Pakistan in the lead up to the World Cup. "When I was watching the matches in Lahore, I don't think a single one of you hit a six that went into the stands. Whenever a six like that was hit, I used to think a foreign player must have hit that. I have asked the board to make a plan that gets every player's fitness up to speed. You'll have to make a proper effort for that.

"We have New Zealand



coming up, then Ireland, England and the T20 World Cup. I wondered, 'When will we train?' but there was no time. However, we've found a window, where we've organised a camp in Kakul (military academy) from March 25 to April 8. The Pakistan Army will be involved in your training, and hopefully, they'll help you out," Naqvi said.

However, this camp might not allow Pakistan players to rest as they have been playing non-stop cricket since the Australia tour. They toured New Zealand for a five-match T20I series then before all the players joined their respective teams for PSL. Post the training camp, which would've otherwise been the rest period for them, Pakistan are hosting New Zealand and then face Ireland and England before the T20 World Cup in June. It remains to be seen if the players will open up about the hectic schedule as the intensive training camp will certainly not allow them to rest up enough.