The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced that nineteen of its U19 women cricketers will undergo online fitness assessment.
"The assessment is designed to keep the up and coming cricketers focused and motivated during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has put a halt on outdoor physical activities," read a PCB release.
The players will take tests from June 22-26 in which their hand-eye coordination, body balance, core muscle and lower body strength along with upper body endurance will be gauged.
The investment into this group of emerging players is in line with the PCB's strategy of enhancing the pool of women cricketers by creating a U19 pathway programme.
These players were picked on the basis of their performances in the Skills2Shine U18 Women T20 Championship, a four-team tournament, which was held in Lahore in November last year. Following the tournament, the players underwent a 14-day-long training camp at the Hf Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi.
"Physical fitness is one of the key elements for any cricketer in order to be successful and thrive in this day and age. It is important that the players are made aware of these requirements right from the moment they enter the system," Urooj Mumtaz, chair of the national women's selection committee, said.
"The basic purpose behind this assessment is to gauge the baseline fitness of this group along with keeping them involved and motivated," she added.
List of players who will undergo fitness assessment includes Anoosha Nasir, Arijah Haseeb, Fajar Naveed, Fatima Khan, Gul Rukh, Gul Uswa, Hamna Bilal, Ha Ahmar, Khushbakht Waseem, Laiba Fatima, Laraib Malik, Laveeza Munir, Momina Riasat Khan, Nazish Rafique, Rida Aslam, Saima Malik, Shawal Zulfiqar, Yusra Amir and Zaib-un-Nisa.
( With inputs from ANI )
