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Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram would train a pack of local fast bowlers this summer in a bid to help the national team find its winning ways.

A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told ‘The News’ on Friday that Wasim recently had a chat with the Board chairman Nasim Ashraf and volunteered his services to assist local pacers, both the established ones as well rookies.

“Wasim Akram is ready to help our fast bowlers find that extra edge and we believe it is good news for Pakistan cricket,” the official said.

According to the PCB plan, Wasim, one of the best fast bowlers in cricket history, would carry out a two-week camp in Lahore next month with several fast bowlers and would also turn up with tips during the national team’s training camp to be held in Abbottabad in June.

Akram, 40, had an illustrious international career that spanned over 18 years during which he took 414 Test and 502 one-day wickets. He is regarded by many as the best left-arm pacer ever. Akram is currently working as an expert cricket commentator with a television channel.

According to the Board official, officials of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the national selectors would soon sit down to decide a list of fast bowlers who would attend the two-week training camp in May. The camp would be held under Akram’s supervision at the NCA in Lahore soon after a series of three One-day International (ODI) matches against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi from May 10-15.

It is expected that several fast bowlers who are in the national team or had represented Pakistan in recent years would attend the camp alongside some promising young pacers. Later, Wasim would return to help out the national team fast bowlers in a high-altitude training camp to be held in Abbottabad from June 14-28.

Pakistan are desperate to get their beleaguered team back on track after a humiliating first round exit from the World Cup in the Caribbean.

They have named young all-rounder Shoaib Malik as their new captain, have brought in new selectors are expected to appoint Bob Woolmer’s successor later this summer.

Pakistan are hoping to get back key pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif back in the side ahead of this September’s Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. The pace duo missed the ongoing World Cup in the West Indies because of fitness and dope-related problems.
Source:The News