Pakistan cricket team batsman Babar Azam©X (old Twitter)
Former Pakistan cricket director Mohammad Hafeez said that former captain Babar Azam and foreign coaches Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn have been working on the team’s fitness ahead of the ODI World Cup to be held in India. He claimed to have given top priority to Pakistan, led by then-captain Babar, failed to advance to the semi-finals and finished in fifth place, losing five of their nine league matches. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently did not renew Hafeez’s contract after a disastrous tour of Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez was appointed team director at the end of 2023 following Pakistan’s disastrous World Cup defeat.
Shortly after he took over as manager, Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat in the three-match Test series and lost 4-1 to the Kiwis in the five-match T20I series.
“When I took over as manager (in 2023) and arrived in Australia, I told the team trainer to submit a report on the fitness standards of the players and prepare a new fitness plan,” Hafeez said. he said.
“He said that his former captain (Babar) and head coach (Arthur) told him six months ago that fitness is not a priority at the moment and to let the players play the way they want,” Hafeez said. revealed on ARY Sports Channel.
“When he (team trainer) told me that he had been told not to check the fitness of the players, this was shocking news for me,” Hafeez added.
Hafeez said the players’ body fat percentage and endurance levels were well below international cricket standards.
“Fitness in modern cricket is a top priority for every team.” Hafeez claimed that tests conducted on some players in Australia showed they were unable to even complete a 2km run.
“The players’ skin folds (body fat levels) were 1.5 points above normal limits,” he claimed.
Former Test captain Azhar Ali, who is also one of the TV show’s experts, recalls that when Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in England in 2017, fitness was a top priority, to the extent that the coaching staff sent players to the squad. did. He returned after failing a physical fitness test.
Arthur was the head coach of the team that won the Champions Trophy by defeating India in the final.
Hafeez also said that it took him three months to convince Babar Azam to leave the opening slot and bat at number three in T20 cricket.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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