Fitness assessments of injured players who are attending Pakistan’s red-ball training camp will take place today, and will be crucial in determining Pakistan’s 22-man strength for the upcoming Test series against West Indies and England.
Those being assessed include Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan.
The other players in the red-ball camp have already taken the fitness test and those who joined the camp later have also taken the fitness test.
Saud Shakeel was recovering from an ankle injury, and Mohammad Rizwan injured his back, sources said.
After all four are rehabilitated, they will all be evaluated to see if they are ready for the selection.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had to postpone the announcement of Pakistan’s Test team as it did not know how many players would be available, so it invited a few more to the camp as backup players.
The team for the West Indies and England series is likely to be announced on Thursday or Friday now.
The PCB has meanwhile set its eyes on a long-term player development programme with a team of cricketers going to the United States for a four-month training programme.
The camp will emphasise power-hitting and improving fitness and rehabilitation methods, and be an introduction to the modern coaching methods and high-performance sporting environment for the players.
The programme aims to expand players’ base of knowledge and understanding of new ways to prepare, condition and enhance their performance in the white ball game, said white ball head coach Mike Hesson.
The scheme is one of the PCB’s plans to enhance the player development system and build up the talent pool of Pakistan with the help of professional training strategies and exposure to international players.
