“Tummies are visible”- Misbah-ul-Haq criticizes Pakistan team’s poor fitness after their defeat to England in a warm-up game
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Misbah-ul-Haq says Pakistan players' tummies are visible
After a crushing six-wicket defeat to England in the warm-up match, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has heavily criticised players’ fitness level. While working as an analyst for a local media channel, Misbah revealed the difference between players’ approach towards fitness then and now.
He observed that during his playing days, players used to push themselves; however, this isn’t the case with current players; they have “visible tummies” and “can’t move”.
“Clear cut, fitness issues are visible, Waqar left four times [as coach], I left once. Players like myself, Shoaib Malik, and Younis Khan were quite into fitness, and we used to push ourselves. Those who push others out of their limitations are not considered good trainers nor good coaches. Their tummies are visible; their lower are heavy and they can’t move. The reason behind this is there has not been a single fitness test, there is no benchmark,” Cricket Pakistan quoted Misbah as saying.
Notably, Waqar Younis worked as a bowling coach under Misbah from September 2019 to September 2021. Both stepped down from the role just before the 2021 T20 World Cup.
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“Fitness test level during domestic season becomes a joke”- Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah ul Haq then emphasized that changing the approach toward fitness needs to happen at the domestic level.
“Fitness test level during domestic season becomes a joke. We used to have arguments that we used to say that the standard used for the international level must be used for the domestic level as well. The responsible people at the domestic level always opposed us related to fitness.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan will clash against Afghanistan in their last warm-up match on Wednesday before locking horns against Rohit Sharma‘s Men in Blue on Sunday [October 22] at the MCG in Melbourne.
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Gouri Das
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