table of contents
After an embarrassing 0-2 defeat in Bangladesh, the Pakistan Test team is currently preparing for the upcoming important Test series against West Indies and England. As they aim to make a strong comeback under the captaincy of Babar Azam, Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has admitted that some players are still struggling with fitness.
This update has raised concerns as Pakistan will be playing in difficult conditions where fitness will be very important. However, Sarfaraz Ahmed expressed full confidence in the new Test captain Babar Azam. He believes that Babar has enough experience to handle the pressure during challenging tours.
Sarfaraz Ahmed admits Pakistan still struggling with fitness problems
Sarfaraz Ahmed revealed that the Pakistan Test team recently completed a month-long red-ball training camp in Lahore. During the camp, the coaching staff found fitness related problems in some players. Although some of those problems were fixed during the training camp, some players still need more work before the team leaves for the West Indies tour and then England.
The coach further revealed that fitness concerns prompted Pakistan to hold another short conditioning camp in Islamabad from Thursday, July 9. The main objective of this camp is to improve the fitness of those players and to ensure that the team is fully prepared before the start of the Test tour.
“Some fitness issues were resolved during the camp, but some still remain, and we will have another small conditioning camp in Islamabad from tomorrow (Thursday) and try to resolve them as well,” Sarfaraz Ahmed told the media as quoted by PTI.
Sarfaraz Ahmed supports Babar Azam to handle the pressure of captaincy
Sarfaraz also talked about the return of Babar Azam as Pakistan’s Test captain. He said that Babar has led the team before, so he understands the pressure and responsibility that comes with the job.
The former captain is confident that Babar will perform brilliantly on the tour of West Indies and England. Meanwhile, Babar Azam is set to regain Pakistan’s T20I captaincy after his Test role.
Babar Azam gives fitness and discipline his top priority
Babar has already told what he wants from the team. Recently in the Pakistan Cricket Board Podcast, he said that fitness and discipline will be his biggest priorities as captain. He believes that if the players remain fit and disciplined, the team will have more chances of getting good results.
Pakistan’s upcoming program is challenging. They will play a two-match Test series in the West Indies before going to England for a three-match Test series. These matches will be played in difficult conditions in July, August and early September.
Pakistan aims to make a strong comeback in the ICC World Test Championship
Babar also knows how important these games are for Pakistan’s campaign in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. The star batsman said that if the team has to improve its position in the WTC points table, then they will have to perform much better in the remaining matches.
They are currently at the bottom of the table with three losses in four matches. Well, the new Pakistan captain also believes that even though white-ball cricket is becoming more popular, Test cricket is still the biggest test for any player and a player is remembered for how he performs in the purest form of the game.