The Pakistan Cricket Board is exploring plans to send a selected group of cricketers to the United States as part of a long-term development programme aimed at improving power-hitting, supporting player rehabilitation and exposing athletes to new coaching methods. Pakistan White-ball Head Coach Mike Hesson confirmed in an interview with Cricinfo that discussions are progressing, with the proposed initiative forming part of the board’s broader efforts to raise performance standards through fresh learning environments and enhanced player development.
Overseas programme forms part of wider development strategy
Although the proposal is still being finalised and the players have yet to be confirmed, the PCB views the programme as an opportunity to complement the changes already taking place within its high-performance system. The plan would see selected players spend around four months in the United States, where they would work with specialist coaches while developing skills that can be applied across international formats.
Discussing the proposal, Mike Hesson, Pakistan White-ball Head Coach, told Cricinfo, “We’re sending some players to the US. There’s some power-hitting expertise over there, and we’re exploring some options. We’ve got some players who’ve had some longer-term injuries, and players we want to expose to different methods of power hitting and just a different learning environment, spending four months in one place to get some new fresh ideas.”
PCB continues to reshape training and fitness
The proposed programme comes as the PCB continues to overhaul its approach to fitness, rehabilitation and player assessment. Earlier this year, the board appointed UK-based physiotherapist Dr Javed Mughal as Director Sports and Exercise Medicine and introduced a comprehensive testing and screening system for players, while placing greater emphasis on fitness standards across the national setup.
Hesson said the overseas initiative is intended to complement those changes rather than function as a standalone strength and conditioning programme. He explained, “There’s a bit of a collaboration. It’s certainly not just strength and conditioning. We’ve got Javed Mughal who’s come in here and changing the way players are training and assessing them in a different way. So he needs time to plan it out as well.”
Ali Raza among players under consideration
One of the players understood to be under consideration is 18-year-old fast bowler Ali Raza, who is regarded as one of Pakistan’s most promising white-ball prospects. He starred in Pakistan’s ACC Under-19 Asia Cup triumph with figures of 4-42 in the final against India, later claimed a hat-trick for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League, and has since been named in Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming Asian Games despite not yet making his senior international debut.
Addressing Raza’s development, Hesson explained, “Pace bowling wise, there’s no more injuries than there are anywhere else in the world. We’re trying to get Ali Raza fit and strong enough to deal with the demands of international cricket. It’s tough trying to be able to bowl multiple spells and sustain his pace. We know when he’s at his top-end pace, he’s exciting. But when the pressure ramps up, the pressures on the body ramp up. So he’s got to work on his body so he can deal with those.”
Final decisions still pending
The PCB has yet to finalise the logistics of the programme or confirm which players will ultimately travel, but the proposal reflects a willingness to look beyond traditional development pathways as it seeks to improve long-term performance across the national setup.
Welcoming that approach, Hesson concluded, “I think it’s good that we’re looking at exploring those options of sending players to the US, rather than saying, ‘No, you have to stay here’.”
With planning still underway, further details are expected once the PCB completes arrangements and finalises the group of players selected for the proposed programme.
