Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi and stand-in Pakistan coach Azhar Mahmood defended the army training camp undertaken by Pakistan players after injury concerns during the recently-concluded New Zealand series.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and middle-order batsman Irfan Khan Niazi were withdrawn from the squad for the last two T20Is against New Zealand after suffering injuries mid-series.
BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on IPL action
Rizwan had walked off due to a hamstring injury while batting in the third T20I and had to be retired hurt, while Niazi also seemed to be struggling with his hamstring during the same game.
In the follow-up announcement by the PCB, it was mentioned that the duo were "rested" for the fourth and fifth T20Is and would be under the observation of the PCB medical team at the NCA in Lahore.
Over 25 Pakistan cricketers underwent army training at the Kakul camp from March 25 to April 8 in order to improve their fitness levels ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup. It was believed that the rigorous level of training during those two weeks had started to take a toll on the Pakistani players, leading to injuries.
However, on Sunday, April 28, during the announcement of Pakistan's new coaches at a press conference in Lahore, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and coach Azhar Mahmood refused to blame the army training camp.
MORE: Who are the new head coaches of the Pakistan cricket team?
What did Mohsin Naqvi and Azhar Mahmood have to say regarding the injuries?
Naqvi admitted that the fitness levels of Pakistan cricketers were well behind those of their competitors in world cricket.
Injuries never occur due to fitness training. People have got various theories around how to make players fit. Fitness has never been a focus of Pakistan managements in the past.
I am not criticising anyone that came before me but look at players from the rest of the world. Pakistan players' fitness is well below that. This is just the start, we will have to ramp up player fitness even more. If I need to bring in fitness experts from around the world, I will.
Meanwhile, Mahmood, who will now take over as the assistant coach in all formats after being the head coach for the New Zealand series, explained that the injuries occurred due to playing cricket, and not because they were the after-effects of the army training camp.
Kakul training had nothing to do with cricket. The injury the players sustained happened [while] playing cricket, and the training had to do with physical fitness. If the players were injured, they wouldn't have played the first game. And Azam Khan was not injured before the series, he was injured in the nets.
What next for Pakistan?
Pakistan are set to tour Ireland and England in May to play a total of seven T20Is before they fly to the Americas for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >