The South Africa-bound Pakistan men’s national team will be joined by seven cricketers in the pre-departure camp, which commences at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

These players – Amad Butt, Faisal Akram, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood – have been invited so that the coaching staff continues to work on their development.

Being part of the pre-departure camp for the white-ball cricketers provides an opportunity for Shahnawaz and Zahid, who received maiden call-ups in the Test side last week, to find their rhythm before they embark on the journey for Zimbabwe with the Test players on 12 April.

Meanwhile, the men’s national selection committee has also invited Azam Khan and Sohaib Maqsood to the National High-Performance Centre in Lahore as the selectors continue to reward the top domestic performers and expand the pool of players. The pair will work with the world-renowned NHPC coaches.

Following the departure of the white-ball squad for South Africa on 26 March, the players who have been dropped from the national side but remain in consideration for the national team will also be invited to the NHPC where they will work on various physical and technical aspects of the game.

Chief selector Muhammad Wasim: “The decision to invite these nine players, seven to work with the national team and two at the NHPC, is a continuation of our ambition to keep our elite cricketers in rhythm and provide them with the desired skill work so they are ready for the national side whenever they are called up. Previously, we had conducted a camp of 25 players, who remain at the periphery of the men’s side, during the HBL Pakistan Super League 6 with the same idea. I am certain that these players will benefit from the presence of top-quality coaches and these off-season initiatives will help them enhance their skill-set.”

Meanwhile, the white-ball squad has reported in the camp at the Gaddafi stadium where they would become a part of a bio-secure bubble.

Before establishing the bio-secure bubble, these players would undergo a second Covid-19 test and after a negative report, they start their training from tomorrow (Friday) noon at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.