ICC Academy and Azhar Mahmood to hold UAE training camp

Sport360 staff 17:01 13/10/2014
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  • Star attraction: Azhar Mahmood.

    The ICC Academy and the Pakistan international Azhar Mahmood are coming together to stage a groundbreaking Twenty20-specific cricket camp later this month.

    Azhar, one of the most sought-after short-form cricketers in the world, will stage the camp from 24 October to 1 November at the state-of-the-art facility at Dubai Sports City with the aim of honing players’ Twenty20 skills and thinking.

    The camp, believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the world, will be open to juniors, adults and corporates, with daytime and evening sessions meaning that it will suit any timing.

    Azhar has played in Twenty20 competitions all over the world for more than a decade, and commenting on the announcement of the cricket camp at the ICC Academy, he said: “The advent of Twenty20 has brought with it new shots, many different variations with the ball and a whole new level of athleticism in the field.

    “But while there are plenty of coaching courses that teach the basics of the game, there are none that I know about that will coach these new techniques and approaches.

    “Our aim is to cover off this gap in learning with this new camp, the first of which will take place later this month. It is an exciting idea, I am delighted to have joined forces with the ICC Academy to put the project together and I cannot wait for us to get started.” 

    ICC Academy Manager Will Kitchen said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Azhar Mahmood for this innovative new camp and we are really excited about it.

    “The ICC Academy prides itself on being a hub for elite cricket and a place where we look to take the game forward. Our use of soils from around the world to replicate pitch conditions from different countries is just one example of that, and by hosting this Twenty20-specific camp we believe we are once again at the forefront of an exciting new innovation.”

    Azhar, who has played 21 Test matches and 143 One-Day Internationals for Pakistan and featured in three consecutive ICC Cricket World Cups, added that ahead of the start of the camp there would be a further major announcement.

    “We have confirmed the presence of a special guest coach during the camp – one of the biggest names in the history of the game – and we will be announcing details of that guest in the near future so watch this space,” he said.

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