Searching for contenders to fill the positions of Misbah and Younis: Mushtaq Ahmed

Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, who is the current coach of the National Cricket Academy in Pakistan, is coaching the 27 players chosen for an extensive 10-week National High-Performance Cricket Camp in Lahore. The PCB has already started taking measures to improve their cricket ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England.

‘Need to fill void left by Younis-Misbah’

The former leg-spinner is on the lookout for a possible replacement of the recently retired duo of Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq. Both batsmen served Pakistan for a long time and were the backbone of the Test team for almost a decade. While Younis was the most successful Test batsman from Pakistan, Misbah was their greatest skipper. Both complimented each other and won many matches for the country. It was in Misbah’s astute leadership, that Pakistan reached the pinnacle in Test cricket when they were ranked the No. 1 side in the world.

With the duo not available for the next Test Pakistan plays, PCB has announced Sarfaraz as the new Test captain. Apart from naming a new captain, Pakistan must unearth fresh batting talent in their country. Mushtaq will keep an eye on youngsters in the 10-week camp.

“Players attending the camp are being put through rigorous training. We are also on the lookout for contenders to fill the positions left behind by Misbah and Younis. We are working hard on the players’ fitness and skills, it is up to them also to work hard and get the maximum out of the camp,” the former spinner said.

Handful of practice games in the camp

The camp will commence till September 9. The last two weeks will be dedicated to only practice games where the players will be tested in game situations. Upcoming batsman Fakhar Zaman, who scored a memorable century against India in the CT finals, is also set to take part in this camp.

Pakistan’s performance in the just-concluded ICC Champions Trophy has stunned a lot of people around the world. PCB is doing the right thing by not sitting down on the win and basking in the glory. They are providing more opportunities to players before they are put to arduous tasks.