LAHORE: Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has shared details of a comprehensive training program for the white-ball preparatory camp currently underway at the National Cricket Academy.
Speaking to the PCB digital, Hesson discussed the white-ball preparatory camp in detail.
“The first couple of weeks of the white-ball camp have mainly been about medical testing and fitness assessments, which allow us to get a baseline of where the players are at,” he said.
Hesson said that the team would focus on skill development alongside fitness training from the following week.
“We also have time to make some real improvements from a conditioning point of view. From next week, we will start working on the skills side alongside fitness.”
The 51-year-old mentioned white-ball players playing across formats, noting that they have ample time to improve fitness.
“Most white-ball players, especially those involved in different formats, struggle to get a good block of training. A huge advantage for us is that we have almost three months where we can make some big gains from a conditioning point of view.”
He praised Dr. Javed Mughal — appointed as the Director of Medical and Sports Science PCB at the start of this year.
“Dr Javed Mughal has come in and set some high standards in terms of medical screening and conditioning. The players are finding it tough, which is no surprise. When you play for long periods, fitness levels can go down from a general conditioning and strength perspective.”
“To withstand the demands of international cricket, players have to be incredibly fit and strong. We are working on both areas,” the head coach added.
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Hesson revealed that every camp started with individual meetings involving players, the head coach, and NCA staff to formulate an Individual Performance Plan (IPP) for each player.
“We start every camp with individual meetings involving the player, the head coach, NCA staff, the conditioning and the medical teams. We are all working together to come up with an Individual Performance Plan (IPP) for every player.”
He praised Pakistan’s emerging talent, adding that the squad for the Asian Games had a promising blend of youth and experience.
“It is exciting to work with a lot of the U19 talent. I met with Sameer Minhas and Farhan Yousaf and have also been involved with Ali Raza and Abdul Subhan over the last month or so. It is great to expose them to the levels they need to reach. We need to give them experience and challenge them so that when they get the opportunity to play for Pakistan.”
“We have time to put a lot of good work into the squad for the Asian Games. It is an exciting squad with a good mix of experience and youth. There are some recent U19 players, while there are also players who have been part of squads but have not had many playing opportunities.
“This is a great chance for us to expose them to the next level and see how they respond, especially with the World Cup in mind in around a year and a half,” he concluded.
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