Asia Cup 2022: What's up with so many Pakistani cricketers having fitness troubles?

By
Sohail Imran
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(From left to bottom right) A collage of Pakistani cricketers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan.
(From left to bottom right) A collage of Pakistani cricketers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan.

Fitness troubles of Pakistani cricketers have become a major issue for the squad's management during Asia Cup 2022.

The medical team and sports staff of the national cricket squad have reportedly been unable to plan adequate fitness programmes for the cricketers as many of the squad members face fitness issues, affecting their performance in Asia Cup 2022, being played in Dubai.

With Shaheen Shah Afridi already affected by a knee injury and Mohammad Wasim encountering back pain during the ongoing regional cricket event, wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, bowlers Naseem Shah and Harif Rauf were also seen confronting some fitness issues amid Sunday's Pakistan vs India match.

The rehabilitation of the affected cricketers is underway in Dubai.

Dr Najeeb Soomro was appointed as a chief medical officer at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he returned from Australia, while the team's physiotherapist Cliffe Deacon and fitness trainer belong to South Africa.

Despite the presence of an experienced medical team, eyebrows are being raised at the team's management due to the high number of players suffering fitness problems.