CricketViewer.com

It’s surely a very good thinking on the part of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to establish the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Under the eye of this NCA, a training camp for fast bowlers and openers is going in Lahore.

This camp not only includes the senior bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar, the new entrants like Mohammad Asif, but also the junior players and the fresh aspirants. Training sessions like these by NCA will help a lot in preparing a lot of openers and fast bowlers of under-19 cader. This will help a lot in strengthning the bench strength of Pakistan’s national cricket team.

According to Mudassir Nazar, who is the director of NCA, the on-going traning camp would be  very useful for the players in the future. In the Qadafi stadium, where the proceedings of this camp are going on, players are getting training in two sessions of morning and training. Players are also getting video-taped, in order to show them their mistakes later on. This is helping a lot for bringing in the improvement in their technique and skill.

Openers are also also getting special attention in the training camp. After recognizing their weakness of getting out, in the try of hitting an off-side ball, academy instructors are solidifying this area, and the player who makes the mistake of getting out at off-side, is fined properly and strictly. In this regard, especially Imran Farhat, who is notorious in the off-side area is improving considerably.

Wasim Akram also joined the academy for a while, and gave special tips to the bowlers and introduced them to the latest and inside techniques. He will also join the camp again 28th May. Academy is paying attention to the fact that its hard to bowl with a nice line and length on a difficult track and bowlers are being instructed in these directions.

As far as Shoaib Akhtar is concerned, he remains the mystery. According to Mudassir Nazar, Shoaib AKhtar is super fit, and is bowling very long spell in the sweltering summer heat of Lahore, without showing any signs of fatigue. Chief Bowling Coach Aaqib Javed also said that Shoaib Akhtar, the so-called Rawalpindi Express is 110% fit. But on the other hand, PCB hasnt allowed him to take part in Afro-Asia cup. The smell of rat is very strong here.

Anyway, in the presence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the fresh youngsters will learn a lot, and the usage of modern and state-of-the-art technology in teaching the bowling tips and technique is a very niche idea, which will benefit the team in the short and long run.