Pakistan group health was lowest precedence for Babar Azam, coach Mickey Arthur: Hafeez

Former Pakistan cricket director Mohammad Hafeez has claimed that ex-captain Babar Azam and overseas coaches Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn had given group health lowest precedence within the lead-up to the ODI World Cup in India.

Pakistan, beneath then-skipper Babar, had did not make it to the semifinals, dropping 5 of the 9 league video games and ending fifth.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) just lately didn’t renew Hafeez’s contract following disastrous excursions of Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez was made group director in late 2023 after Pakistan’s abysmal present within the World Cup.

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Soon after he took cost, Pakistan was whitewashed within the three-Test collection Down Under, whereas it misplaced the five-match T20I collection in opposition to the Kiwis 4-1.

“When I took over as director (in 2023) and we reached Australia, I told the team trainer to give me a report on the players’ fitness standards and prepare a new fitness regimen,” stated Hafeez.

“He told me that the former captain (Babar) and head coach (Arthur) had told him six months ago that fitness is not the priority at the moment and let the players play as they wanted,” Hafeez revealed on the ARY sports activities channel.

“This was shocking news for me when he (team trainer) told me that he was told to not check the players’ fitness,” added Hafeez.

Hafeez stated that when he checked the physique fats share and endurance ranges of the gamers, it was method beneath the worldwide cricket requirements.

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“Fitness in modern-day cricket is top priority for all teams.”

Hafeez alleged that when checks had been carried out on some gamers in Australia, they couldn’t even end a two-km run.

“The players’ skin fold (body fat level) was one-and-a-half points above the normal limit,” he alleged.

Former Test captain, Azhar Ali, who was additionally one of many consultants on the TV present, recalled that when Pakistan had gone for the ICC Champions Trophy in England in 2017, health was given prime precedence, a lot in order that the teaching workers despatched a participant (Umar Akmal) again as a result of he had failed a health take a look at.

Arthur was the top coach of the group that received the Champions Trophy, beating India within the last.

Hafeez additionally stated that it took him three months to persuade Babar to go away his opening slot and bat at No. 3 in T20Is.