PCB impose fine on players who failed fitness test

Pakistan players under scrutiny for their lack of fitness

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided withhold 25% of the monthly contract fee from players with below par fitness levels for four months, reports ESPNcricinfo. Since the board has been more keen on players maintaining an optimum level of body condition, an assessment towards the same was held during September 6-8. Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal are among the 12 who were fined for failing the test.

One has to undergo 17 different tests as per PCB’s new physiological screening protocol according to their 2014 central contracts.

Left-arm spinners Abdur Rehman and Raza Hasan, and seamer Mohammad Irfan were the other high profile names who were fined. The players were informed of the need to keep themselves in good physical levels during their month-long camp in May-June at Lahore. 29 players were examined barring Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz and Nasir Jamshed who failed to show up for their own reasons.

Afridi was also absent during the initial testing but went under the scanner later on. Since Riaz and Jamshed are with Pakistan’s T20 champions Lahore Lions in India for the Champions League T20, the two are expected to take up the test when they return home.

Apart from penalties, the board has also announced special bonuses for the ones who cleared the test with distinction. Five players including ODI and Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq will enjoy the benefits for clearing the same with excellence. While Misbah, Ahmed Shehzad and Bilawal Bhatti will get 10% bonus, Shan Masood and Umar Amin are to get 17.5% increase on their monthly contract fee for maintaining peak fitness.

The fitness test conducted in May 2014 was considered as a benchmark in analysing the current test results. Another round of tests will be held in December 2014, before the 2015 central contracts are to be announced.

Test results (via ESPNcricinfo)

Players who failed the test: Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Talha, Ehsan Adil, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Irfan, Shoaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Raza Hasan, Abdur Rehman, Khurram Manzoor, Haris Sohail

Players who passed the test: Mohammad Hafeez, Junaid Khan, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Rahat Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Fawad Alam, Anwar Ali, Azhar Ali, Umar Gul, Adnan Akmal

Players who were rewarded: Misbah-ul-Haq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Umar Amin, Bilawal Bhatti

Absentees: Nasir Jamshed, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal