Waqar Younis invites bowlers for special camp ahead of Australia tour

Desperate to find wicket-taking bowlers for the Australia tour, Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis has invited 15 bowlers, including two spinners, to attend a special weekend camp. Both, head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis have emphasized on having wicket-taking bowlers for the coming Twenty20 and Test series Down Under. "The national selection committee has invited 15 high-performing bowlers from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the ongoing National T20 Cup as well as fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the weekend camp," a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board said.

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A special camp for bowlers

The PCB statement said that the purpose of the camp is to provide the selectors better insight on the fitness and form of the bowlers that can further assist them while picking the T20I and Test sides for the coming tour. "It will also give the bowlers an opportunity to understand their shortcomings and ways to improve their skills in the upcoming domestic matches," it said. The tall left-arm paceman, Shaheen missed the recent home series against Sri Lanka and is also not playing domestic cricket due to fitness issues while Pakistan's experienced Hasan Ali is also on the sidelines because of injury. 

Waqar Younis made it clear that the two-day camp will help him in having a closer look at the bowlers and judging their form and fitness. Misbah-ul-Haq and Test captain Azhar Ali will also monitor the camp. The T20I and Test squads for the Australia tour will be announced by Misbah-ul-Haq on Monday in Lahore. 

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Sarfaraz Ahmed sacked

Sarfraz Ahmed was sacked by the PCB after Pakistan's humiliating loss to Sri Lanka in the T20 series. According to reports, Ahmed had been under immense pressure after Pakistan’s continued failures since the Champions Trophy success in 2017. Under the captaincy of Sarfaraz, Pakistan had suffered consecutive failures, including at the World Cup and since then questions were being raised about his ability to lead the side. The fact that Sri Lanka did not have 10 first team players and yet completely outplayed Pakistan seemed to have sealed Sarfaraz's fate. The 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz had taken over the reins after Misbah-ul-Haq retired. 

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