More players join PCB Skills Camp
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday invited a second batch of players for the second phase of the Skills Development camp after the first phase, featuring 15 players, concluded here at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Saturday.
The players invited in the second batch include Aamer Jamal, Ali Raza, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Hussain Talat, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Faiq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shahid Aziz and Yasir Khan.
According to the cricket board, the players participated in several fitness and fielding sessions from 6am to 8am, while skill-based sessions (net practice) were held from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground and NCA from Monday to Thursday. They also engaged in match scenarios at the LCCA Ground on the final two days of the Skills Development camp.
First batch of Pakistan players for Skills Development camp: Aamer Jamal, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Babar Azam, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Moqim.
Notably, a total of 47 players had been shortlisted to participate in the camp in three groups from June 16 to July 5 and following the conclusion of the first phase, the PCB has also announced the names of 15 players, set to partake in the second phase from June 23 to 28.
Director High-Performance Aaqib Javed, in a statement released by the PCB, had shared that the players were invited to the camp after 'detailed discussions' with newly-appointed white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.
Javed said that the camp would provide the 47 players with an opportunity to fine-tune their skills during a brief pause from competitive cricket.
"We have invited 47 players to the 20-day skills camp at the National Cricket Academy following detailed discussions with white-ball head coach Mike Hesson," said Javed.
"This is an invaluable opportunity for the players to take a brief pause from competitive cricket and focus on enhancing their fitness and refining key aspects of their game. With a busy international calendar ahead, this window allows us to provide targeted support to the players, so they can return better prepared for the challenges to come," he added.
"There is a complete alignment between the coaching staff at the National Cricket Academy and the national men's team. We are working in close coordination to ensure that every initiative contributes to the long-term progress of Pakistan cricket," he concluded.
Hasan Ali joins elite T20 club of Pak bowlers
Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali has reached a significant milestone in T20 cricket, becoming the ninth Pakistani and 39th overall player to take 300 wickets in the shortest format.
The 31-year-old achieved the feat while representing Birmingham Bears in the ongoing Men's Vitality Blast 2025. He reached the landmark in just 212 matches, highlighting his consistency and effectiveness in T20 cricket.
With this achievement, Hasan has joined an elite group of Pakistani bowlers that includes Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Amir. In the ongoing Vitality Blast season, Hasan has been in solid form, picking up 12 wickets in six matches at an average of 17.33. However, his economy rate of 9.38 suggests there's room for improvement in containing runs.
Former pacer Wahab Riaz leads the list for Pakistan with 413 wickets in 348 T20 matches. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Rashid Khan leads the all-time T20 wicket-takers list with an impressive 643 wickets in 477 matches.
Most T20 wickets by Pakistani bowlers:
Wahab Riaz – 413 wickets, Sohail Tanvir – 389 wickets, Mohammad Amir – 384 wickets, Imad Wasim – 365 wickets, Shahid Afridi – 347 wickets, Shadab Khan – 345 wickets, Haris Rauf – 321 wickets, Shaheen Afridi – 310 wickets and Hasan Ali – 301 wickets.
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