In the ICC World Cup in India, Afghanistan defeated Pakistan by eight wickets on Monday. Pakistan's former fast bowler, Wasim Akram, expressed his disappointment and criticized the team's fitness, suggesting that they should assess their own performance. Speaking on a local sports channel, Wasim Akram emphasized the importance of fitness in fielding and hinted that some players may not be meeting the required fitness standards, indicating the need for consistency in fitness testing for players.
"Wasim Akram said, It was embarrassing; reaching 280 with only two wickets is a big deal. Whether it's the fielding or fitness level, we need to look at it.
We've been complaining for the past three weeks that these players are not passing the fitness test. There hasn't been a fitness test in the past two years. If I start taking individual names, their faces will drop. It seems like these players are eating more than 8 kg mutton and biryani, and there should be a specific standard for players' fitness tests.'
Wasim Akram also stressed the importance of setting specific standards for players' fitness and mentioned that the coaching staff led by Misbah-ul-Haq had implemented standards that had yielded positive results. He further stated, "On a professional level, you are being compensated for playing for your country.
Fitness should be a special standard. When Misbah was coaching, he maintained these standards. Players used to resent him, but he got the job done. Fielding is related to fitness, and that's why we lack in this position. Let's hope for better in the future.'"
The 57-year-old player criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for making hasty decisions and expressed dissatisfaction with continuous changes in the coaching staff and administration. Wasim Akram said, "We were passionate that we were number one. In the past 6-8 months, we had a chairman, but when Najam Sethi came to the board for 3-4 months, he immediately changed the coaching staff. We reached the final last year, but when he suddenly came, he shook things up."
The former fast bowler also hinted at ending the High-Performance Centers established by Wasim Khan and Ehsan Mani and questioned unnecessary changes and sought stability in the system.