Pakistan's centrally contracted players failing to meet fitness standards to be fined

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the players failing to meet the minimum fitness requirements in the fitness tests of the centrally contracted players will be fined 15 percent of their monthly fees. 

All the available centrally contracted players will attend the two-day testing, which will take place at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on January 6 and 7.

Meanwhile, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan--who will be occupied with their commitments in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)--will undergo the fourth term of the fitness tests on January 20 and 21.

The fitness tests will be conducted by Yasir Malik, the strength and conditioning coach of the Pakistan national men’s team, and the tests will cover five major areas namely fat analysis, strength, endurance, speed endurance and cross-fit, and will carry equal weightage.

"A player failing to meet the minimum fitness requirements will be fined 15 per cent of his monthly retainer, which will remain effective until such time he achieves the minimum fitness standards. Player failing consecutive tests will risk the chances of retaining his central contract category and may face demotion," the PCB said in an official statement. 

Meanwhile, Zakir Khan, PCB – Director, International Cricket, informed that the fitness tests will not be limited to the centrally contracted players and that it will also cover the players of the six Cricket Association teams.

“These fitness tests will not be limited to the centrally contracted players, but will trickle down to the six Cricket Association teams. Their tests will be conducted by their respective coaches and trainers as per their own schedules and players failing to pass fitness tests will jeopardize their chances of featuring in the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament to be held from 25 March to 19 April," Zakir said. 

The full list of centrally contracted players is as follows:

Category A – Babar Azam (Central Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan)

Category B – Asad Shafiq (Sindh), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Haris Sohail (Balochistan), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Shadab Khan (Northern) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Northern)

Category C – Abid Ali (Sindh), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imad Wasim (Northern), Mohammad Amir (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Southern Punjab), Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Wahab Riaz (Southern Punjab)