The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), through its Medical and Sports Science Department, has introduced a comprehensive domestic cricket fitness policy for the 2026-27 season. The new framework will apply to all regional, departmental, district and zonal teams across Pakistan, covering players from junior age groups to first-class cricket.
The policy has been designed by PCB Director of Sports and Exercise Medicine Dr. Javed Mughal and introduces a two-tier fitness testing system aligned with the physical demands of international cricket. The PCB said the plan has been developed to be simple, reliable, consistent and repeatable across all levels of domestic cricket.
Tier 1 will cover players from the 20 regional teams, eight departmental first-class teams and more than 25 Grade-II departmental teams. Tier 2 will apply to senior district, Under-19 district, Under-17 regional and Under-15 regional teams.
Players in Tier 1 will undergo 11 different fitness tests, providing 17 scoring opportunities. They can record up to seven red scores and still pass the assessment. However, players receiving eight or more red scores will fail and will be allowed one re-test.
Tier 2 players will complete eight fitness tests with a maximum of 12 scoring opportunities. Any player receiving six or more red scores will fail the assessment.
The PCB has also introduced a continuous monitoring process. Players who pass the initial assessment will undergo repeat fitness testing approximately six months later, with the expectation that they demonstrate measurable improvement over their original results.
Players who fail the fitness assessment will be required to repeat the entire testing process rather than only the tests they did not pass.
The fitness assessments will be conducted by PCB-approved strength and conditioning coaches at all levels of domestic cricket. The results will be submitted to the National Cricket Academy and the PCB’s Medical and Sports Science Department for evaluation and monitoring.
