The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sparked a social media firestorm on June 7, 2026, after leaving out star batter Babar Azam from the upcoming National Cricket Academy (NCA) white-ball training camp. Netizens quickly tagged the move as a big surprise, interpreting it as a possible shift in the team’s future limited-overs direction.
Babar Azam Dropped Due To Workload Management?
But a more detailed look at the scheduling reveals a story of workload management, not a demotion. The PCB in its official press release said that Babar has been assigned to the red-ball camp that runs from June 8 to July 10. Players can’t attend both because the two pre-season camps happen at the same time.
The PCB said cricketers who played in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia – which Pakistan won 2-1 on June 4 – will be given a short break. They are scheduled to report to red-ball training camp on June 15, with the session lasting through July 15. Besides Babar, some key Test stalwarts like red-ball captain Shan Masood and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan are also part of this red-ball set-up.
The white-ball camp, however, will start from June 15 and go on till September 18. It is a bunch that features some of the best limited-overs players in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Shadab Khan, as well as some raw domestic talent.
49 Players In Fray
The PCB has selected 49 players in total, 22 to the red-ball camp and 27 to the white-ball camp. The training windows are provided to give sufficient time to the experienced international players and the upcoming domestic performers to prepare for the upcoming domestic and international assignments as per the board.
What Would Be The NCA Camp Be Like?
During the training period, the players will hone their skills under the guidance of national and NCA coaches, including personalised, one-on-one sessions. In addition, the PCB medical staff will be actively involved in monitoring the players’ fitness, recovery and overall conditioning. This is the second such time in recent months that PCB has organised synchronised conditioning camps following a similar dual-camp setup held before the Bangladesh and Australia series.
Full List of Invited Players
Red-Ball Camp (22 Players): Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Abrar Ahmed, Ali Usman, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Obaid Shah, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saqib Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shahzad Gul, Shan Masood.
White-Ball Camp (27 Players): Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Farhan Yousaf, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Muhammad Nafay, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Rohail Nazir, Saad Baig, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Sameer Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
