Newly appointed vice-captain of the Pakistan national Test team, Saud Shakeel, recently said that the team’s fitness levels have dropped over the last few months. Compared to the other top teams in the world, the Pakistan team have been inferior in terms of fitness and skill across formats, and it has cost them a lot as well. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tried to improve the cricket team’s fitness levels with some tough drills with the army. However, despite the radical measures, consistent improvement is yet to be seen within the side as well.
Saud Shakeel said, “To be honest, the fitness levels of some of our players went down in the last couple of months, and they accepted it too. We’re currently working hard on our fitness levels, and we are hoping to make it better in the future as well,” Saud Shakeel told Cricket Pakistan ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, former player Mohammed Hafiz also opened up on the fitness level of the players.
“After allotting him a 6-week program, when Azam Khan appeared, he was still at the same body weight and body fat level as he was 6 weeks prior. His running ability was also twice as low as the rest of the team. If the rest of the team could cover 2 kilometers in 10 minutes, Azam Khan could only do it in 20 minutes,” Hafeez said on a local news channel (via Times of India). “So, I went to talk to him and asked him why he didn’t follow the plan and role given to him. He didn’t have any answer, saying he tried his best but couldn’t. This is unprofessionalism,” Hafeez said on a local news channel.”
However, fitness would be one of the main challenges for newly-appointed red-ball coach Jason Gillespie. One of the biggest highlights of Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming home series against Bangladesh is Saud Shakeel’s appointment as vice-captain.
“I have always enjoyed captaincy, and I am honored that I am given the responsibility of being the vice-captain of the Pakistan Test side. I have always tried to ensure that the runs I score benefit the team’s cause,” Shakeel told Cricket Pakistan.
