Shahid Afridi named among 12 Pakistan players fined for being unfit

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/24/shahid-afridi-pakistan-players-fined-unfit

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Shahid Afridi is among 12 players to have been fined by the Pakistan cricket authorities for failing to meet fitness standards.

The Pakistan Cricket Board set tough new fitness guidelines in June, warning that failure to stay in shape would lead to players having their salaries docked. A PCB spokesman said the players were assessed against the guidelines early in September and those who failed would lose 25% of one month’s salary.

All Pakistan players receive monthly salaries ranging from 425,000 rupees (£2,600) to 100,000 rupees under central contract categories A, B C and D. The all-rounder Afridi is in the A category.

“An assessment of 29 players’ fitness was carried out between 6-8 September, and 12 players did not meet the fitness standards,” said the spokesman.

Along with Afridi, those facing fines included Umar Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdur Rehman, Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Irfan, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Talha, Raza Hasan and Zulfiqar Babar. However, five others were rewarded with bonuses for improving their fitness, including the Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq.

“Misbah, Ahmed Shehzad and Bilawal Bhatti will get a 10% bonus while Shan Masood and Umar Amin will get a 17% bonus of their monthly salaries,” the spokesman said. Three players – Nasir Jamshed, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal – were not tested for “personal reasons”.