Current fitness culture is nothing less than a joke: Javed

Former Pakistan fast-bowler Aaqib Javed has lashed out at Pakistan cricket team by terming their fitness culture a ‘joke’.

According to Daily Express, Javed said talent in the country is being wasted by using fitness standards as an excuse.

“The current fitness culture is nothing less than a joke,” said Javed. “If running fast was a criteria, than the likes of Inzamamul Haq and Chris Gayle would never have played cricket. Also the example of Arjuna Ranatunga is in front of everyone as he established himself in the game, purely on his technique and talent.”

He added: “Fitness is important to an extent but that does not mean that players with good technique and talent should be discarded.”

Javed — who was the member of the 1992 World Cup winning squad — also stressed on the need for planning, bearing in mind the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.

“Change of coaching staff is not the solution,” he said. “PCB and the entire coaching staff should start planning for the upcoming World Cup because that is important in order to yield good results.”

Javed also pointed out lack of pace from the Pakistan fast bowlers as one of the reasons behind team’s poor show during the recently concluded Test series against South Africa.

“The reason why we struggled was because our bowlers were not as quick as the ones from South Africa,” he said. “The likes of Wahab Riaz and Usman Khan Shinwari could have been a better choice due to their raw pace.”

Although he was optimistic about the team’s chances during the upcoming five-match ODI series: “I’m hopeful that the team will do well during the ODI series.”