PESHAWAR    -    Pakistan Cricket Board high performance conditioning camp to prepare women players for the upcoming cricketing season involving 30 women cricketers is in full swing in lush green and picturesque Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.

The purpose of the camp, which currently in progress and will continue till August 31, is to prepare the players for the upcoming domestic and international assignments. A tough international season awaits Pakistan with series against Bangladesh and England, culminating with the ICC Women T20 World Cup that will be played in Australia in March next year.  During the camp, the players will also spend a day at the Military Academy Kakul on August 28. Other than the regular Pakistan players, youngsters invited to the camp will get the opportunity to stake a claim for selection in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad that tours Sri Lanka in October.  The camp participants have been selected by the women national selection committee, which is headed by former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz. Former Pakistan players Asmavia Iqbal and Marina Iqbal are the other two members of the panel. The camp will also help the coaching staff as they bid to prepare strong senior and ‘A’ teams for the forthcoming commitments.

The camp is a part of PCB’s strategy of further improving the profile of the women’s game while providing the players regular opportunities of excelling at the top-level through strenuous training and practice.

Chief Selector Urooj Mumtaz on this occasion said that it is important that we identify our top 30 players at the start of the season. “We are holding this camp to work on our skills in all three departments of the game. We have selected some junior players who can help form the ‘A’ team that will tour Sri Lanka in October,” she said.

The chief selector said: “The main focus on the players who are in contention for the national team’s series against the Bangladesh team and certainly giving rigorous training, the players would also go through one day training at the Kakul Academy.

“The players will be spending the day as cadets to experience their daily routine, she disclosed. The idea is to give a different experience to the players and help them understand the benefits of a disciplined life and routine with strenuous training which should help broaden the scope of their thinking,” she said and added: “Such activity, she said, would help them learn and observe a different life style while focusing on traits like determination, resilience and focus.”

“The mix of players will also enable to bridge the gap at the domestic level as well as provide healthy competition within the group,” she said. “The camp will also help the coaches identify potential players and gauge their abilities and I really believe this camp will be a wonderful opportunity for our present and future players to ready themselves for the upcoming season.”

“I also expect this will serve as an opportunity for the coaching staff to understand the philosophy of coaching which should help us progress as we aim to become a top force in international cricket,” she concluded.