Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come up with a new idea to improve the fitness standard of Pakistan national cricket team. The Pakistan Cricket Board has now made paddle a mandatory part of training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.
The PCB has made padel a mandatory part of every player’s training routine during long training camps. From now on, every player participating in the long training camp will have to follow this as his fitness standards have often been questioned in recent years. Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed’s The Hundred Signings: Kavya Maran avoids the controversial question.
PCB has ordered Pakistani players to play paddle during the training camp.
Under the new rule, Pakistan national cricket team players will play paddle for 40 minutes every other day along with their regular cricket practice. Pakistan Cricket Board introduced this rule with the aim of improving fitness, quick pace, reflexes and fielding standards.
This decision has been taken by Pakistan’s Chief Selector and High Performance Director Aaqib Javed. He believes that paddle is a simple but very effective sport that can help players improve their agility, footwork, stamina and overall movement.
To make the plan successful, PCB has also built a new paddle court at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Earlier, many Pakistani players were already playing padel but had to travel to different places as only a few courts were available in their cities.
Aaqib Javed explained the reason behind the new step
“Many of our players are already playing padel game regularly but they have to travel long distances to reach the limited number of courts in their hometowns. We have now created a padel court facility at the NCA for the players,” PTI quoted Aaqib Javed as saying.
Now, players can play paddle at the Academy itself as part of their daily training program without leaving the premises. Padel is a rapidly growing sport that combines elements of tennis and squash.
Padel is a sport that combines elements of tennis and squash. It is played on smaller courts, but players have to move quickly, change direction quickly and react in a very short period of time. Because of this, the PCB believes it can help cricketers become better athletes and stronger fielders.
Aaqib Javed also wants the National Cricket Academy to be a place where players can improve not only their cricket skills but also their overall fitness. With this new rule, a 40-minute paddle session every other day will now become a regular part of Pakistan’s training camps.
AI-powered bowling machines added to training facilities
On the other hand, NCA has also upgraded its training facilities by adding AI-powered bowling machines. These latest additions are part of the PCB’s larger plan to provide players with modern training equipment, improve their fitness and skills, and help them better prepare for international cricket. Meanwhile, the BCCI is unhappy with the CoE over India’s injury concerns, with seniors raising concerns.
Pakistan will take on West Indies in a two-match Test series, with the first Test starting on July 25 in Taruba. The second and final Test will be played in Port of Spain from August 2, with Babar Azam leading the team after being re-appointed as Pakistan’s Test captain.
