Salman Butt names three fittest cricketers in Pakistan team

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has voiced concerns about the fitness of the national team players as they prepare for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. 

In a candid discussion on his YouTube channel, Butt pointed out that the overall fitness of the team is not progressing as it should, which is casting a shadow over the squad's preparedness.

However, he was quick to clarify that not all players are unfit. He praised the fitness levels of Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman, lauding them as being among the top 10 fittest cricketers globally. 

"Improvements will be seen in fitness soon. You cannot say all the players are not fit. If you look at some of the players they are among the top 10 players in terms of fitness in World cricket. You can look at Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Rizwan, you look at their fitness, they have achieved good scores in the Yo-Yo Tests. They are good in the gym, they run well on the field," Butt said.

Despite his praise for some, the former skipper expressed serious concerns about the management of fast bowlers, emphasizing the need for them to play in longer formats. 

"You need to manage fast bowlers, the problem is they don't play longer format, they don't feature in FC cricket, we don't play much Test cricket. Things are not getting developed in the way they should be. When this happens, the entire team is blamed unfit, people won't look at fit guys even though all the players are hardworking," he said.

Butt also stressing the importance of individual responsibility in maintaining fitness, using Babar Azam's consistency and fitness as an example.

"Babar Azam scored truckloads of runs in the last 2 years, he proved his fitness, he ran on the field, and scored runs while batting first as well as second innings. Things should go up but they are getting broken in the middle, which is wrong. So, this is the responsibility of the players to maintain their fitness," he said. 

The former cricketer also criticized how fitness has become a major issue in Pakistan, particularly in light of the T20 World Cup 2024, where fitness concerns were highlighted. He noted that while some players who were unfit during the World Cup remain part of the squad, stricter fitness standards are being imposed on junior-level players. 

"The entire Pakistan is talking about the fitness of the team and it brought a storm in Pakistan, players at the junior level were asked to run. This came after people said players weren't fit in the T20 World Cup 2024. No one questioned the physios or trainers, but instead, they started making players at the district level push hard for fitness. Those who made errors are still there," he concluded.

The Pakistan National Cricket Team is set to host the Bangladesh National Cricket Team for a two-match Test series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship. The first Test will be held in Rawalpindi starting on August 21, followed by the second Test in Karachi from August 30.