LAHORE: Senior players Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan are among 22 cricketers participating in a three-day training camp that commenced on Tuesday at the LCCA Ground here, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced.

The camp will conclude on Thursday.

The players have been divided into three groups, with the first group undergoing training under the supervision of the Pakistan men’s team management, headed by head coach Mike Hesson.

On the opening day, Abbas Afridi, Babar, Mir Hamza, Salman Mirza, Saud Shakeel, Shahid Aziz and Usman Khan featured in various skill-based sessions.

Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan weren’t picked for Pakistan’s recently concluded Twenty20 International series against Bangladesh. Once Pakistan’s top T20I openers, Babar and Rizwan had a difficult Pakistan Super League (PSL) season last month, as the duo struggled with their strike-rates.

Shaheen, meanwhile, was reportedly “rested” for the Bangladesh series after leading Lahore Qalandars to the PSL title, while also ending as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps at an impressive average of 16.42.

Pakistan are currently in the preparatory mode for next year’s T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. The team’s next assignment is going to be three T20Is and as many One-day Internationals away from home, with the tour starting on Aug.1

The other players invited to the camp include Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shaf­ique, Ahmed Daniyal, Ali Raza, Haider Ali, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Khur­ram Shahzad, Maaz Sadaqat, Moha­mmad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2025