You can be a good fielder, or at least a good catcher without having good fitness. Each session these players spend in the gym is another session that they do not spend honing their batting and bowling skills. It is no coincidence that many of the greatest batsmen and spinners to play this game did not exceptionally fit.
Pace bowlers need to be very fit however, and you do need a basic level of fitness, however Arthur is placing an unnecessary emphasis on fitness, which seems to override the player's level of skill with bat and ball.
Inzamam's conversion rate was a product of his batting position. Have you compared his conversion rate to the likes of Dhoni and Misbah, who were considered to be far fitter?
Unless you are obese or have some injury, batting for the better part of an ODI innings is not difficult for an international player. This has been the case for decades now, without the need to place an added importance on fitness.
Our first team contains a majority of players that are quite fit and are good fielders. Therefore, I find the reported importance of the April fitness test weird. If Babar Azam fails the fitness test, will he be sent back? More importantly, will you guys support that decision so that an uber-fit player like Fawad Alam takes his spot?
This is cricket, not football.
