The Sri Lankan players will have to put their fitness routine on strict preference as players are now likely to face salary deductions if they fail in the fitness Test. The latest news comes as a huge step forward from the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as they try to step up the fitness curriculum to prepare the players. Sri Lanka has been struggling for form and consistency on the international front as the former World Cup winners were forced to play qualifiers for the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
“If a player ran 2km in 8.35 minutes in February, he should be able to do it under 8.10 minutes now. We want the players to really work hard on their fitness and we will not tolerate lapses in fitness,” Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Sri Lanka Cricket’s Chairman of Selectors said.
“Besides the fitness test, we will also test their skills, to see whether they are ready to play,” Wickremasinghe added.
It’s been a turbulent time for Sri Lankan cricket as they have failed to impress in recent times in the cricketing world. After playing five World Cup finals (three T20I, two ODI) in seven years, the island nation has gone under the radar and is now going through a transition phase. Sri Lanka have quickly gone from Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene to Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva and Avishka Fernando.
The fitness routine could prove to be a major boost for the Sri Lankan team as they once again try to capture the attention of the cricketing world. The 1996 ODI World Champions can reap rich rewards with the latest fitness plans. International teams and players have given more preference to fitness routines in recent years as they aid in players performances. Sri Lanka will have a tough task in hand as they will face Australia in February 2022.
