Top stars absent from camp

The think tank of the Pakistan cricket team skipped the twoday training camp that resumed under a low profile at the National Stadium Sunday.

Skipper Waqar Younis, former captain Wasim Akram, paceman Shoaib Akhtar, spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, manager Yawar Saeed and coach Mudassar Nazar preferred to stay back in Lahore, ignoring the fact that the camp is in its concluding stages.

The five are expected to join the camp Monday. But their absence left a couple of questions unanswered. First, was it really important to hold a two-day the camp in Karachi which would cost the establishment thousands of rupees.

Ideally, the players could have assembled Tuesday before embarking on the tour. And second, if the camp was so necessary, then would the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) seek explanation from the seven for missing the work outs.

The rest of the players had arrived in city from Islamabad Saturday evening after proceedings to the federal capital from Lahore by road. Air traffic, it may be mentioned, is disturbed from Lahore because of foggy conditions.

In a revised departure schedule, the Pakistan cricket team will leave for Dhaka, Bangladesh, via Dubai on Jan 1 evening. The squad was initially planned to leave on Jan 2 on a 24-day tour for two Tests and three one-day squads.

Rashid Latif, former captain, supervised the training session which included routine stuff like physical training and nets.