ISLAMABAD – Elderly batsmen Misbahul Haq and Younus Khan are set to be the fittest players as they have topped the fitness tests conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to match the players’ strength according to the international standards.
A PCB official Wednesday said that Test captain Misbah (41) and senior batsman, Younis (38) were the fittest players in the test despite their age.
“Pakistan cricket team fitness trainer Grant Luden had set up a points system for the fitness tests (17 set as the target) which both of them have achieved,” he said.
Younus attainted 18 points while Misbah’s report is yet to come but he has cleared the test with an edge.
He said some players, who could not reach the level include T20 captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, spinners Saeed Ajmal and Zulfiqar Babar.
They failed to attain the required points in the different fitness tests.
He said that the players, who would pass the test, would be rewarded in some way financially while the ones, who failed, would be given a time frame to achieve the given fitness target.
“If the ones, who fail, don’t not achieve the given fitness test in the given time frame, they will be fined,” he added.
He also rubbished all reports that some players had complained that standards were kept lenient while taking tests of players including ODI captain Azhar Ali and pacer Wahab Riaz.
“This didn’t happen, however, the players, who had failed the tests, must have been bluffing around,” he said and added: “Shahid Afridi, M Hafeez, Haris Sohail and Imad Wasim could not appear in the tests due to some injuries.”
The official said a 15-day camp of the players for preparation of the series against England in July would be held in Abbottabad from May 15.
“The PCB has also employed Asad Rizvi (nutritionist and sports psychologist) to hold counseling sessions with the players.
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