Pakistan’s women cricketers to undergo fitness tests

Thirty-eight elite cricketers will undergo online fitness tests from Monday as part of PCB’s initiative to develop a fitness-driven culture.

Due to Ramadan, the tests will be held outside fasting hours till May 20. - REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE

Pakistan’s 38 elite women cricketers will undergo online fitness tests from Monday as part of an initiative by the Pakistan Cricket Board to develop a fitness-driven culture. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear that it will not penalise players who fail to meet the desired benchmarks, but it expects the players to give their best.

According to the PCB, the players will undergo Prone Hold, Bulgarian Squats, Vertical Jumps and Push Ups along with Body Mass Index calculation and in the backdrop of Ramadan, the tests will be held outside fasting hours till May 20. “The tests will have no financial implications on the centrally contracted cricketers and will be conducted under the supervision of Imran Khalil, who has been assigned the role interim fitness trainer,” PCB said on its website.

Urooj Mumtaz, chair of the national women’s selection committee, said, “The modern-day game requires players to maintain optimum fitness levels at all times. Our aim is to develop a fitness-driven culture and inculcate this within the system in order to produce elite athlete.

“Considering that these are unprecedented and uncertain times and the players are confined to train in whatever spaces are available to them, the testing battery has been modified to ensure they can be conducted without any equipment while staying indoors. At this stage, there will be no financial penalties in case a player fails to meet the desired benchmarks. However being professional cricketers we urge all the players to maintain their fitness levels to make sure that they are ready to go when cricket resumes.”