A two-day training camp of Pakistan cricket team, as a part of preparations for upcoming tour of West Indies has been started here at Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday. On the opening day of short training camp, the team members held two training sessions of strenuous physical training and net practice. Focus was also being paid on fielding, bowling and batting of players.
-- Pakistan capable of beating West Indies: Intikhab
Along with physical training, the players also practiced in the nets under the supervision of coach Waqar Younis. The national cricket team will be leaving for West Indies on April 14 to play one T20, five One-day internationals and two Test matches in the tour beginning on April 18.
Pakistan cricket team tour to West Indies is beginning with a warm-up game from April 18, while the only Twenty-20 will be played on April 21 in St Lucia. The five-match ODI series will begin on April 23, and the Test leg of the tour will commence on May 12.
Pakistan cricket team manager, Intikhab Alam told reporters that Pakistan cricket team is capable of beating West Indies. "Our cricket team is embarking upon a new journey, on a new venture and if the boys show their potential no matter we can beat the West Indies on their soil," he said, adding: "I believe players have learnt to play in pressure situation and this could add to team's performance in the coming tour", he added.
Answering a question about hiring a batting coach, Alam said he also supported the idea of hiring a batting coach to overcome batting flaws and to boost the performance of batsmen. "Javed Miandad was offered to take up the job of batting coach but he refused which is his personal decision. Only he (Miandad) knows the reasons of rejecting the offer," he added.
Alam further said: "It is a good omen that young players are a part of the Pak squad for West Indies, as the tour will help identify new talent. This tour will provide good opportunity for the young players to excel in their respective departments of the game. "I have pinned a lot of hopes from new comers for putting up some good performance, "he added.
To another query, Alam said: "What happened in the World Cup 2011 semi final was now a past and the boys are facing a new challenge which needs collective team efforts." He was of the view that at present the West Indies team is not of that strength which it used to be in the past because of fearsome bowling and strong batting.