Mickey Arthur Clarifies the Controversy Surrounding Failed Fitness Tests

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has clarified his stance regarding Imad Wasim, Abid Ali and Mohammad Hasnain’s failed fitness tests in a press conference on Monday.

After taking over the role of the head coach, Mickey Arthur enforced strict fitness standards which included compulsion of clearing the Yoyo fitness tests.

However, in the latest fitness tests for the World Cup selection, Imad Wasim, Abid Ali and Mohammad Hasnain all failed in their first attempts.

Despite strict standards, all three players were given a second chance which helped them secure a spot in the World Cup squad. This caused a huge controversy as fans and journalists slammed Mickey Arthur of favoritism.

While responding to these remarks, Mickey Arthur said:

We have never compromised on fitness and we will continue to hold the same standards for everyone. Having said that, we have to understand that Imad Wasim has had long standing issues with his knees. It is true that he was given the leeway but only because he is still recovering from his knees problems.

Justifying the Abid Ali and Mohammad Hasnain situation, Mickey Arthur further claimed:

We have set the standards extremely high. Abid and Hasnain have been with us for only three weeks. These players are experiencing these standards like they have never experienced before. For newcomers, we have to be understanding and we have to groom them instead of breaking their morale.

Yasir Needs to Bowl His Googly More Often

Shadab Khan was recently ruled out of the England series due to a virus. Yasir Shah was named as his replacement and when asked about his inclusion, Mickey responded positively.

He said that Yasir Shah can be a weapon for Pakistan cricket in limited overs if he polishes his varieties and a chance has been given to him to prove his worth.

Mickey Arthur: "If Yasir Shah can challenge the bastmen's inside edge as well as the outside edge then he becomes a different bowler; this means that he has to bowl his googly more often. He can become a weapon for us and I genuinely believe that."

— Zarar (@SyZarar) April 22, 2019

He also said that Yasir Shah is well aware of the fact that he has to improve his bowling in limited-overs and his fitness as he marginally passed the Yoyo test.