islamabad : Former Pakistan all-rounder and director of cricket Mohammed Hafeez has slammed former director of cricket Mickey Arthur and former captain Babar Azam for not paying attention to the fitness level of the team.
Recently, Hafeez was removed from his position by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following a crushing defeat to Australia in the three-match Test series Down Under and a further loss to New Zealand in the five-match T20I series. He was appointed Director of Cricket shortly after Arthur’s tenure ended, after a mixed campaign for the Cricket World Cup in India.
In an interview with ARY Sports Channel, Hafeez said: “When I take over as coach (in 2023) and arrive in Australia, I will submit a report to the team trainer on the fitness standards of the players and prepare a new fitness plan. “I said so,” he said.
“He told me that his former captain (Babar) and head coach (Artur) told him six months ago that fitness was not a priority at the moment and to let the players play the way they wanted.” added the former all-rounder.
Hafeez claimed that fitness is a modern-day priority for all cricket teams. He said the players’ body fat levels were tested and the players’ skin folds were high, most of them 1.5 times the permissible limit.
“Fitness in modern cricket is a top priority for every team,” Hafeez said.
“When we checked the fat levels of the athletes, all of them had high skin folds and for most of them it was 1.5 times the limit. They were not fit for health and the athletes were unable to complete the 2km trial run. “You would be defeated if your fitness was like that,” he concluded.
Pakistan’s next assignment was a tour of England in May this year, during which they played four T20Is.