PCB Set To Send Pakistan Players To USA

Mohsin Naqvi, Donald Trump and Babar Azam [Source: AFP and X]

The Pakistan Cricket Board is deciding to send a small group of cricketers to the United States for a specialised training programme. PCB is set to give a fresh training environment to the players with particular focus on power-hitting. 

As per recent reports, arrangements are still being finalised, and no players have been selected yet. Now, PCB is exploring a push to modernise Pakistan’s medical and fitness setup, following the appointment of Dr Javed Mughal, who recently said fitness is “non-negotiable” in professional sport.

Pakistan Players Set To Learn Power-Hitting In USA

Mike Hesson explained the thinking behind the overseas stint to develop a skill that is now a staple for white-ball cricket. 

“We’re sending some players to the US. There’s some power-hitting expertise over there, and we’re exploring some options. 

We’ve got some players who’ve had some longer-term injuries, and players we want to expose to different methods of power hitting and just a different learning environment, spending four months in one place to get some new fresh ideas,” Hesson shared to ESPNCricinfo. 

The PCB sees value in letting players step outside their usual surroundings to develop skills that could sharpen Pakistan’s white-ball game with the bat.

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PCB Improves Ties With USA Behind Training Collaboration

The move to the USA is part of a broader collaboration. Hesson stressed it goes well beyond physical training. 

“There’s a bit of a collaboration. It’s certainly not just strength and conditioning. We’ve got Javed Mughal who’s come in here and changing the way players are training and assessing them in a different way. So he needs time to plan it out as well,” Hesson shared.

Dr Mughal, now the PCB’s Director of Sports and Exercise Medicine, has introduced a fresh approach. 

At a recent press conference, he described fitness as a “non-negotiable” in professional sport and said the PCB had “developed a robust, reliable and repeatable testing and screening battery we had started to apply to all players.” The US programme is being designed to align with that philosophy.

Ali Raza Might Be One Of The Visitors To USA

One player under serious consideration is 18-year-old fast bowler Ali Raza. He helped Pakistan win the Under-19 Asia Cup, taking 4 for 42 in the final against India, and later claimed a hat-trick in the Pakistan Super League for Peshawar Zalmi. 

He has not yet made his senior international debut, though he has been named in Pakistan’s Asian Games squad. Hesson said the PCB wants to make sure Raza’s body can withstand the demands of top-level cricket.

“Pace bowling wise, there’s no more injuries [within Pakistan] than there are anywhere else in the world. We’re trying to get Ali Raza fit and strong enough to deal with the demands of international cricket. 

It’s tough trying to be able to bowl multiple spells and sustain his pace. We know when he’s at his top end pace, he’s exciting. However, when the pressure ramps up, the pressures on the body ramp up. So he’s got to work on his body so he can deal with those,” Hesson said.

With the new training regime in a fresh environment, Pakistan would look to grow even stronger. Now, after concluding the Australia series, the Men in Green will be taking a break before they travel to the West Indies in July for a red-ball series, followed by another series against England in August.

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