The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to bring back the Yo-Yo Test to improve the fitness of players across the country. PCB says that national team test cricketers and international cricketers will have to pass all fitness tests, including the Yo-Yo test.
According to the details, the Yo-Yo test was not conducted in the past, but now the Director of Domestic Cricket, Khurram Niazi, has approved the plan to improve the fitness of the players. According to the plan, these fitness tests will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, fitness tests will be conducted across the country starting on July 11. The fitness tests will be conducted first at the district level, followed by the regional level. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has also approved the fitness plan. Players who fail the fitness test will be dropped not only from the national team but also from the regional teams.
Khurram Niazi has made regional contracts and team selection conditional on passing a fitness test. Test cricketers, international cricketers and national cricketers will have to pass all fitness tests, including the Yo-Yo test, after which they will be considered fit to represent the country.
It may be recalled that former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez had revealed that the previous management, which included Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn, had decided to do away with the fitness test.
Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Mohammad Hafeez recounted a conversation with the team’s trainer where he was frustrated by the trainer’s turning a blind eye to the previous management’s directives regarding fitness standards.