The National Cricket Academy in Lahore will spend the bulk of the summer hosting two parallel camps – one for red-ball specialists, the other for white-ball hopefuls. The red-ball group reports on Monday, 8 June, while the white-ball players are due in a week later, on 15 June. From that point both squads will be on site together, albeit with different schedules.
The timings line up with Pakistan’s next assignments. Red-ball work runs until 10 July, after which there is a short pre-tour camp for the two Tests in the West Indies. Departure for the Caribbean is pencilled in for around 15 July. The white-ball camp stretches to 18 September, taking in preparation for the T20 Asian Games in Japan (September–October) and a home one-day tri-series against Sri Lanka and England that is expected in October–November, straight after two home Tests versus Sri Lanka.
Head coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed (Tests) and Mike Hesson (limited-overs) will front their respective camps. Forty-nine players have been named at the outset – 22 red-ball, 27 white-ball – with room for additions. County-contracted Pakistan players are not on the initial list but could be flown back towards the end if selection demands it.
Some crossover is planned. Shaheen Shah Afridi begins in the white-ball section – he is the current ODI captain – yet staff are keen to let him fine-tune his longer-format bowling during the first month. Players who featured in the recent 2-1 home ODI win over Australia, Shaheen included, link up once the white-ball group arrives on 15 June.
Beyond nets and fitness drills there will be scenario matches most afternoons. The PCB spelt out the wider brief: “Both camps have been devised to prepare players for upcoming international and domestic events,” it said in a media release. “During the camps, the players will work with National and NCA coaches alongside PCB Medical staff on their skills and fitness. The players will also have one-on-one sessions with coaches to better understand the skills and fitness requirements at the international level.”
Pakistan’s recent form explains the extended gathering. Despite the Australia victory, all three games were played on dry, turning pitches that offered the visitors little pace or carry, and the tourists were well short of full strength. Before that, Pakistan lost a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh and exited the T20 World Cup in the Super Eights – the fourth ICC event in a row where they have missed the knock-out phase, dating back to the 2023 50-over World Cup.
The Test side’s record is more troubling. No away win has arrived since 2023 and the most recent outing ended in a 2-0 defeat in Bangladesh. Sarfaraz, quietly candid when asked last week, admitted there is “plenty to fix” but feels the longer camp gives coaches “time to dig into individual problems rather than patch them”.
Selectors will keep a close eye on the daily reports. A couple of fringe players may earn late invites once county-season windows open in late July; equally, anyone failing to meet agreed fitness markers could be released early. Nothing especially dramatic, staff say, simply an attempt to run Pakistan cricket more professionally.
It is a long stint – over three months for the white-ball group – and senior pros have already flagged the need for short breaks. The expectation is that two rest windows will be slotted in, most likely around Eid and again just before the Asian Games squad is finalised.
For now, though, it is back to basics: batters tightening defensive techniques for overseas Tests, fast bowlers lengthening run-ups, white-ball all-rounders rehearsing death-over plans. No slogans, no fanfare, just a sizeable to-do list and three nets running from breakfast until the floodlights flicker on at dusk.
