The Pakistan Cricket team’s test squad began their training camp for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka to be held in the UAE. The last leg of the series, at least one T20 game, is expected to be held in Lahore.
Pakistan team’s training camp kicked off at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, ahead of the Test series scheduled to be held in UAE later this month. The camp, which will continue until September 23, is intended to prepare the players for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Head coach Mickey Arthur held a detailed lecture for the participants before the training got underway.
However, concerns over the fitness of multiple players, particularly star leg spinner Yasir Shah are a hanging sword on the Pakistan camp. Moreover, the calf injury of former captain and middle order stalwart Azhar Ali also seems to have left the team scratching its head.
Yasir Shah had come under the microscope after he failed the yoyo fitness test. The Yo-Yo endurance test is a physical fitness test often used by international athletes to measure their level of endurance. The test, in the cricketing world, is a standard must-have in countries including India and Australia which have gone far in cricket simply by focusing on levels of fitness. Yuvraj Singh was famously barred from playing cricket for his failure to score well on the test.
It is worth noting that Yasir Shah is part and parcel of the 16 man squad that is going to the UAE for the series against Sri Lanka. Quite recently, former batsmen Umar Akmal had been sent back by Coach Mickey Arthur from England over his fitness standards. It could very well be detrimental to Yasir’s career whether he can or cannot improve his fitness, since Arthur has proven he will not compromise on fitness.
The sidelining of Yasir is made an even more tangible reality given the discovery of 18 year old leg spinner Shadab Khan, who broke onto the international scene with a bang after great success in the Pakistan Super League. Yasir had been the main line of attack for the Pakistan Cricket team during the era of Misbahul Haq which focused more on spin as opposed to pace.
As the Pakistan team goes through its rebuilding efforts after the exit of Younis Khan and Misbah, new combinations will be tried and tested as Sarfaraz Ahmed tries to find a winning combination. In the new set up, it is a very real possibility that Yasir not be able to find a place. His lackluster fitness only adds to this.
Moreover, another problem facing Pakistan is the possible troubles that Azhar Ali will cause given his injury scare. With both Misbah and Younis gone, this is the time for the team to rebuild their batting order. If Azhar is to go, the responsibility will fall majorly on Asad Shafiq, and he has shown he is not particularly adept to handling the pressure of the number 3 spot.
It is now only to wait and see whether Yasir can redeem himself, and how Pakistan will begin their rebuilding efforts in test cricket, especially with setbacks hitting them even before they have started.
Squad: Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Usman Salahuddin, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Abbas, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza and Wahab Riaz.
