Team Pakistan preparations for ICC Test Championship underway
LAHORE: Preparations of Team Pakistan for the upcoming two-match ICC World Test Championship series against the West Indies are underway at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The players took part in an intensive three-hour training session under the supervision of the coaching staff, focusing on batting, bowling and fielding, a PCB spokesman, said.
Head Coach Sarfraz Ahmed, batting Coach Asad Shafiq and bowling Coach Umar Gul oversaw drills across all three departments as the squad fine-tuned its preparations for the Caribbean tour.
Test captain Babar Azam, along with other members of the squad, also participated in an extensive nets session on the practice wickets to sharpen their skills ahead of the series. As part of the preparations, the Pakistan Test team will play two-day intra-squad scenario matches on Friday and Saturday to assess match readiness and combinations before departing for the West Indies.
Pakistan is scheduled to face the West Indies in a two-Test ICC World Test Championship series from July 25 to August 10. The matches will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Toowoomba and the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
Moreover, Beaconhouse has partnered with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to design and deliver a specialised programme, ‘Communication Skills for Professional Cricketers’, for the cricketers taking part in the NCA camp.
Developed at the request of the PCB, the programme recognises that communication is more than a soft skill in sport: it is an essential part of teamwork, leadership, media engagement and professional representation, both on and off the field.
Comprising 11 interactive sessions, the programme has been tailored specifically for professional cricketers and focuses on the communication demands of high-performance sport. Key areas include professional communication, media readiness, active listening, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, emotional regulation and effective representation. Through practical scenarios and simulations, the sessions support players in applying these skills in high-pressure sporting and public-facing environments.
Speaking about the initiative, Director Education Development, Beaconhouse School System, Fareeha Ahmad said, “We are honoured to collaborate with the Pakistan Cricket Board on a programme that supports the holistic development of Pakistan’s national athletes. Through this customised programme, our aim is to support players as they represent themselves, their teams and Pakistan with even greater confidence and professionalism.”
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