PESHAWAR: To prepare women players for the upcoming season, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has organised a 16-day High Performance Condition Camp for 30 players in Abbottabad later this month.

“The purpose of the Aug 16-31 is to prepare the players for the upcoming domestic and international assignments. A gruelling international season awaits Pakistan with series against Bangladesh and England, culminating with the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup that will be played in Australia in March,” said a PCB release issued here on Friday.

During the camp, the players will also spend a day at the Military Academy Kakul (Aug 28). Other than the regular Pakistan players, the youngsters invited to the camp will get the opportunity to stake a claim for selection in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad touring Sri Lanka in October.

The camp participants have been selected by the women’s national selection committee, which is headed by former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz. Ex-Pakistan players Asmavia Iqbal and Marina Iqbal are the members of the panel.

The camp will also help the coaching staff who bid to prepare strong senior and ‘A’ teams for the forthcoming assignments. The camp is a part of PCB’s strategy of further improving profile of the women’s game while providing the players’ regular opportunities of excelling at the top-level through strenuous training.

Urooj said, “It’s important that we identify our top 30 players at the start of the season. We are holding this camp to work on our skills in all three departments of the game. We have selected some junior players who can help form the ‘A’ team that will tour Sri Lanka in October. We will also focus on the players who are in contention for the national team’s series against Bangladesh.”

The following players will take part in the camp:

Aliya Riaz, Aroob Shah, Ayesha Naz, Ayesha Zafar, Bibi Nahida, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Huraina Sajjad, Iram Javed, Javeria Wadood, Jaweria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Rashid, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sana Mir, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Soha Fatima, Tuba Hassan, Waheeda Akhtar

Officials: Mark Coles (head coach), Iqbal Imam (batting coach), Gemaal Hussain (trainer), Shahid Anwar (‘A’ team coach), Aisha Jalil (manager); Dr Rifat Asghar Gill, Sajida Fajar (physios).

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2019