Babar Azam named in 11-player red-ball training camp ahead of South Africa Tests

Lahore [Pakistan], September 6 (ANI): Pakistan's premier batter Babar Azam has been called for a red-ball training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which will commence on Tuesday, along with 10 other players ahead of the upcoming home Tests against South Africa.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement on Saturday to confirm that the 11 selected players will report on Monday. The camp will run until September 28 and will be overseen by interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood as well as NCA coaches and support staff. The pool of 11 players features Babar, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Kamran Ghulam and other talented stars.

"The camp has been designed to provide players with support to work on their skills, as well as to assess fitness ahead of a busy red-ball international and domestic season. The players selected are those not involved in the ongoing Hanif Mohammad Trophy (four-day). In the 20-day camp, the players will train at the National Cricket Academy and will also take part in scenario-based matches," PCB said in its statement.

Experienced wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and star pacer Naseem Shah remained unavailable for selection due to their ongoing stint in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025. Pakistan will lock horns with the Proteas in two Tests, with the opener set to be staged in Lahore from October 12, followed by the second fixture in Rawalpindi from October 20.

The two Tests will mark the beginning of the Pakistan World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle. Babar's inclusion in the camp serves as an indicator that he remains in the plans for the Test fold after being axed from the T20I setup. He was excluded from Pakistan's Asia Cup squad despite the support from former Pakistan icons.

His last appearance for Pakistan in the red-ball format came at the beginning of the year, when the West Indies notched a historical 120-run victory in Multan. Babar was cleaned up by Gudakesh Motie for 1(5) in his first turn and looked composed with 31(67) but ultimately perished against Kevin Sinclair.

Players selected for camp at NCA: Abdullah Shafique, Ali Raza, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Salman, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan and Shamyl Hussain. (ANI)

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