IND vs PAK: Pakistan bring in THIS special coach ahead of their highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 showdown against India in Dubai. Find out who he is!
New Delhi: After losing their opening match against New Zealand, Pakistan find themselves in a must-win situation ahead of their high-stakes encounter against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. A defeat to Rohit Sharma’s side on Sunday in Dubai would result in Mohammad Rizwan’s team being eliminated from the tournament within just four days.
With hopes of keeping themselves alive in the race for the semifinal, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hired a ‘special coach’ in former cricketer Mudassar Nazar to prepare the team in understanding the conditions better ahead of India vs Pakistan the high voltage clash , according to journalist Vimal Kumar.
The 68-year-old was seen at Pakistan’s training session on Friday evening, spending a considerable amount of time with the players. Notably, Pakistan is the official host of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, due to security concerns, the BCCI opted not to send the Indian team across the border, resulting in all of India’s matches being played in Dubai.
Mudassar Nazar, who has served as the head coach of Pakistan previously, addressed the whole team first before putting on the net session.
Why Mudassar Nazar was called?
A former opener, Mudassar Nazar possesses an in-depth understanding of playing conditions in the United Arab Emirates. Following his tenure as Pakistan’s head coach, he took charge of the Kenyan national team in 2005. Additionally, he served as the interim coach of the UAE in 2023.
The former all-rounder also worked as the Director of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy for a while and served with the ICC’s Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. He had also worked as a national selector for the Emirates Cricket Board. Having spent so much time in the UAE, the PCB felt there could be no one better than Mudassar Nazar.
What happened in Pakistan’s training?
As far as Pakistan’s practice session is concerned, the players were seen practicing aggressive shots with the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi finding the stands quite often. However, several players struggled in getting their timing right as many balls went straight up in the air for the fielders to catch.
The Pakistan cricketers were also caught struggling during their fielding drills as they dropped uncountable catches. New Zealand and India occupy the top two spots in Group A and a win for Rohit Sharma’s men will seal their spot in the semifinals.
