NZ vs PAK: 'They Couldn't Run 2km' - Wahab Riaz Exposes Pakistan Players' Fitness Level

Former Pakistan pacer and current chief selector Wahab Riaz has come down heavy on the fitness level of the Pakistani players and revealed that some of the players cannot even run 2 kilometers.

Pakistan lost their 17th consecutive Test match in Australia following their eight-wicket loss at the hands of the Aussies at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Pakistan also lost the three-match Test series by 3-0 and once again failed to perform against a lethal Australian team. Throughout the series, the Pakistani players dropped a lot of catches on the field and showcased many examples of sloppy fielding.

WahabRiaz was speaking on a local Pakistani news channel and stated that the yo-yo Test shall be brought back to maintain the fitness of the players. Wahab stated that the previous management pampered the players and didn’t take any steps towards the fitness of the players.

NZ vs PAK: ‘They Couldn’t Run 2km’ – Wahab Riaz’s Shocking Revelation On Pakistan Players’ Fitness

Wahab Said in a Interview With Geo Super That Previous Management had a policy that no One Will ask About Players Fitness
This is So Ridiculous
Get Yo Yo Tests Back pic.twitter.com/gkmC08tkLd

— Hamza Sheikh (@hamza007_) January 7, 2024

Wahab Riaz said, “We must have fitness tests. I told you that when we came, unfortunately, we had to announce the team. We are getting some news that maybe the fitness of the players…, the interesting thing is that what you talked about, I would like to tell you that from the previous management, we have heard that do not ask the players about their fitness. The logic behind this was that they pampered the players a lot. Let me tell you that some players couldn’t even run 2 km.”

There was a huge reshuffle in the Pakistan management when the captain and the selectors of the teams were changed after the resignation of Babar Azam and Inzamam-ul-Haq. While Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi took over as the captain of the Test and the T20I side, Wahab Riaz was announced as the chief selector of the senior men’s team.

The fielding has always been an area of concern for the Pakistani team as it had led them to lose a lot of big games. It was Abdullah Shafique’s catch in the slips which might be the major reason behind Pakistan’s loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Apart from their sloppy fielding, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has not been able to return to his best after returning from his injury.

Also, It was Hasan Ali who dropped Australia’s Matthew Wade during the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final, which later led to them losing the match. There have also been cases when the Pakistani team have given the easiest of runs during international matches.

The Pakistani management might take some solid steps to address this problem otherwise this can turn out to be a huge issue for the team in the upcoming days.

Pakistan are now all set to play against New Zealand in a five-match T20I series. The onus will be on Shaheen Shah Afridi who will lead the T20I side. Shaheen has not been in great form these days and will now also have the pressure to perform for the team rather than leading the side.