High body fat amongst our current players

[Moiza]

What is up with the inability of our current players to maintain decent levels of body fat. There are many players in our current line up even who have somewhat of bulging stomach (Tidd). Now I am not asking them to be fit like Kohli or Gill but if I, at 27 years of age, working a 9 to 5 can maintain a flat stomach with 2 hours of gym a week then why cant our players do the same.

From my understanding of fitness, you need to be at or above 20% bodyfat to have a visible lower belly. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.

Is it lethargic attitude when it comes to overall fitness or does cricket, especially batting, require you to have some fat on you. Is there something I am missing here?


Some players in the current side who have a visible lower belly bulge:

• Azam Khan (Boderline obese). His brother is fitter than most of our cricket team but the brother playing for PK is fat
• Babar
• Harris Rauf
• Imam

Some players from the past

• Sarfraz
• Imad
• Harris Sohail
• Umar Akmal. The guy once said that he gains weight just by drinking water. Quite scientific

There are many other names on the list but these are some off the top of my head. Another funny thing is that the moment these players get dropped from the side, their fitness goes back to that of an athlete.

 

[Moiza]

And before someone bashes me for it, I would like to mention that Babar and Imam are my current top 2 favorite cricketers in PCT so this isnt a Babar hate train. This post is directed towards the overall attitude towards fitness in the PCT.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Can you imagine, your job is to be an athlete and you turn up on the field overweight

Normal guys with jobs, families and not a lot of time are in better shape. How do you expect to be at peak performance with love handles and excess weight slowing you down?

Put the roti down

They should ban salan roti for any player that becomes pro and weigh them every week.

The maximum a player should be is 12% bodyfat.

 

[ArabKnight]

Azam Khan is the only one in your list who has a good muscular sportsman body structure. Everyone else is indeed somewhat chubby or overweight. Sarfraz is unconventionally chubby but he runs the quickest between the wickets of any batsman we had this decade.

 

[Moiza]

Can you imagine, your job is to be an athlete and you turn up on the field overweight

Normal guys with jobs, families and not a lot of time are in better shape. How do you expect to be at peak performance with love handles and excess weight slowing you down?

Put the roti down

They should ban salan roti for any player that becomes pro and weigh them every week.

The maximum a player should be is 12% bodyfat.

Can we sign a petition to ban roti and salan for the PCT?


I can't fathom how an athlete manages to get that fat. I maintain 15% BF all year round and you dont even need a super strict diet for that. There is a lot of lee way even when you are 15% BF, like you can have a KFC and multiple ice creams in a week and it wont matter much as long as your caloric intake is within limits.

To be 20% and above you really need to off the handle. Also, considering our player expend a lot of energy on the field as well, the only sense I can make of it is they are consistently munching on upwards of 3000-3500 calories a day which for a 6 feet tall person, is a lot of food.

 

[saqib.rai]

What is up with the inability of our current players to maintain decent levels of body fat. There are many players in our current line up even who have somewhat of bulging stomach (Tidd). Now I am not asking them to be fit like Kohli or Gill but if I, at 27 years of age, working a 9 to 5 can maintain a flat stomach with 2 hours of gym a week then why cant our players do the same.

From my understanding of fitness, you need to be at or above 20% bodyfat to have a visible lower belly. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.

Is it lethargic attitude when it comes to overall fitness or does cricket, especially batting, require you to have some fat on you. Is there something I am missing here?


Some players in the current side who have a visible lower belly bulge:

• Azam Khan (Boderline obese). His brother is fitter than most of our cricket team but the brother playing for PK is fat
• Babar
• Harris Rauf
• Imam

Some players from the past

• Sarfraz
• Imad
• Harris Sohail
• Umar Akmal. The guy once said that he gains weight just by drinking water. Quite scientific

There are many other names on the list but these are some off the top of my head. Another funny thing is that the moment these players get dropped from the side, their fitness goes back to that of an athlete.

The names you mentioned don't appear as fat as Rohit Sharma does. If they have match fitness, then that should be the criteria.

However, Azam Khan should not be selected if he does not lose ALOT of weight. If PCB selects him for short term gains, then that will set a very wrong precedent.

If the PCB had banned fixers in the 1990s instead of just fining them, then we would have won the 2011 World Cup with Amir and Asif.

If Azam is selected with his current level of body fat, then upcoming cricketers would think it's okay to look like Azam and would not care about fitness. Which will deteriorate our fielding standards even more.

 

[Rana]

What is up with the inability of our current players to maintain decent levels of body fat. There are many players in our current line up even who have somewhat of bulging stomach (Tidd). Now I am not asking them to be fit like Kohli or Gill but if I, at 27 years of age, working a 9 to 5 can maintain a flat stomach with 2 hours of gym a week then why cant our players do the same.

From my understanding of fitness, you need to be at or above 20% bodyfat to have a visible lower belly. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.

Is it lethargic attitude when it comes to overall fitness or does cricket, especially batting, require you to have some fat on you. Is there something I am missing here?


Some players in the current side who have a visible lower belly bulge:

• Azam Khan (Boderline obese). His brother is fitter than most of our cricket team but the brother playing for PK is fat
• Babar
• Harris Rauf
• Imam

Some players from the past

• Sarfraz
• Imad
• Harris Sohail
• Umar Akmal. The guy once said that he gains weight just by drinking water. Quite scientific

There are many other names on the list but these are some off the top of my head. Another funny thing is that the moment these players get dropped from the side, their fitness goes back to that of an athlete.

Harris Rauf went through a strength nutrition programme and that’s why he has put on weight. If he stops training he will lose a lot of muscle mass

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Azam Khan is the only one in your list who has a good muscular sportsman body structure. Everyone else is indeed somewhat chubby or overweight. Sarfraz is unconventionally chubby but he runs the quickest between the wickets of any batsman we had this decade.

Muscular? he is more charbiular because of excessive fat.

But he is doing really well with the bat so we can ignore his weight concern because most fittest players are not performing with their V shapes body.

 

[Moiza]

The names you mentioned don't appear as fat as Rohit Sharma does. If they have match fitness, then that should be the criteria.

However, Azam Khan should not be selected if he does not lose ALOT of weight. If PCB selects him for short term gains, then that will set a very wrong precedent.

If the PCB had banned fixers in the 1990s instead of just fining them, then we would have won the 2011 World Cup with Amir and Asif.

If Azam is selected with his current level of body fat, then upcoming cricketers would think it's okay to look like Azam and would not care about fitness. Which will deteriorate our fielding standards even more.

Sharma does have a fitness problem and he has been criticized for it all throughout his career.

The point is that Sharma is in the wrong and so are our players.

The point I fail to understand is how can you go to the gym so regularly, play so many matches and still be more unfit than an avg joes who works a 9 to 5 with fitness at the bottom of his priorities.

 

[Moiza]

Muscular? he is more charbiular because of excessive fat.

But he is doing really well with the bat so we can ignore his weight concern because most fittest players are not performing with their V shapes body.

Azam is a promising cricketer but fitness adds more to the game than just batting. Even on a bad day, Fakhar saves you 10 runs from the outfield and on a good day, he will get you quick singles that the unfit players might not.

The problem with unfit players is that if they fail then you are starting with -10 runs at least.

 

[Asad T]

Just look at the commitment of other athletes. This is the standard that our players should strive for.
Can you imagine, our players saying something like this about salan

 

[ArabKnight]

Muscular? he is more charbiular because of excessive fat.

But he is doing really well with the bat so we can ignore his weight concern because most fittest players are not performing with their V shapes body.

Finally someone who has some sense!

I feel like 9/10 of so-called self-proclaimed “experts” on PP would’ve dropped “fat” Inzamam-ul-Haq out in favor for “fit” Misbah-ul-Haq in ODIs. Both men practically of the same age.

Our Hall-of-Famer Top-Scoring Legend of ODIs was no one other than Inzamam.

Our Zero-Century-Scoring Tuk-Tuk Pitch-Occupier of ODIs was no one other than Misbah.

 

[saqib.rai]

Just look at the commitment of other athletes. This is the standard that our players should strive for.
Can you imagine, our players saying something like this about salan


View attachment 136743

Cant compare tennis with cricket.

Here we have examples like Inzimam and Ranatunga who are considered legends and greats for their countries.

 

[Moiza]

Finally someone who has some sense!

I feel like 9/10 of so-called self-proclaimed “experts” on PP would’ve dropped “fat” Inzamam-ul-Haq out in favor for “fit” Misbah-ul-Haq in ODIs. Both men practically of the same age.

Our Hall-of-Famer Top-Scoring Legend of ODIs was no one other than Inzamam.

Our Zero-Century-Scoring Tuk-Tuk Pitch-Occupier of ODIs was no one other than Misbah.

The point isn't to say that players need to be dropped on body fat alone. The point is that players have only to gain by maintaining proper fitness. Even in the case of Inzi, he was a different beast in his younger and fitter days.

You can be an ATG while being unfit but being fitter could only make you greater, it cant possibly pull you in reverse. As an athlete, whose sole focus is athletics, high BF (IMO at least) shows a severe lack of commitment and an inability to stay away from Roti, Salan and Rice.

 

[ArabKnight]

The point isn't to say that players need to be dropped on body fat alone. The point is that players have only to gain by maintaining proper fitness. Even in the case of Inzi, he was a different beast in his younger and fitter days.

You can be an ATG while being unfit but being fitter could only make you greater, it cant possibly pull you in reverse. As an athlete, whose sole focus is athletics, high BF (IMO at least) shows a severe lack of commitment and an inability to stay away from Roti, Salan and Rice.

Having more “better looking” physique does not equate to better performance. You need to be well feed and nurtured to be healthy. Starving yourself and trying to maintain the body of Usain Bolt as a cricketer is a very foolish action.

I want to emphasize you need to eat food and alot of it. It is what makes people stronger.

Roti, salan, rice is the best food to eat. Traditional home-style cuisine of Muhajir, Punjab, Pakhtun, etc. has nothing but benefits. It helps with the KHORAQ E KHELARI.

Eating American food like burgers, pizzas, fries, noodles, etc. is a curse. All should avoid these types of foods.

All these “fitness gurus” who consume protein shakes, energy drinks, salads are frauds of the biggest degree.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Having more “better looking” physique does not equate to better performance. You need to be well feed and nurtured to be healthy. Starving yourself and trying to maintain the body of Usain Bolt as a cricketer is a very foolish action.

I want to emphasize you need to eat food and alot of it. It is what makes people stronger.

Roti, salan, rice is the best food to eat. Traditional home-style cuisine of Muhajir, Punjab, Pakhtun, etc. has nothing but benefits. It helps with the KHORAQ E KHELARI.

Eating American food like burgers, pizzas, fries, noodles, etc. is a curse. All should avoid these types of foods.

All these “fitness gurus” who consume protein shakes, energy drinks, salads are frauds of the biggest degree.

12% body fat is the minimum required to be a high performing athelete. There are no ifs and buts.

Some of these players must be eating 3000 calories a day for dinner if they are burning from training and probably end up eating 5000+ calories a day. I am sure they drink full fat cola and eat fried chicken. Don't some of them smoke too?

It's just lack of discipline and self respect. If you can't maintain 12% body fat year round then why are you a professional athlete.

 

[ArabKnight]

Everyone who has played gully cricket or cricket w/ friends knows that the fattest guy is the best batter. Hands-down the best batter, and it’s not even close!

I dare so-called cricket fitness “experts” to explain that.

 

[saqib.rai]

Everyone who has played gully cricket or cricket w/ friends knows that the fattest guy is the best batter. Hands-down the best batter, and it’s not even close!

I dare so-called cricket fitness “experts” to explain that.

Best batter in gully cricket. And we all know how high the standards of gully cricket are

 

[Moiza]

Everyone who has played gully cricket or cricket w/ friends knows that the fattest guy is the best batter. Hands-down the best batter, and it’s not even close!

I dare so-called cricket fitness “experts” to explain that.

Cant argue with this. Was not always the best batters but the one who could hit the biggest for sure.


But as Flat_Track_Bully said above, if you cant maintain 12% BF all year round then where is your commitment as an athlete. VK is a good example of what good nutrition can do for you, some is James Anderson. If you look at Australian teams from this and the previous decade, it is evident why good nutrition to be necessary to be the best in the world. South African and New Zealand teams are also good examples of that.

I'm a very big Imam and Babar fan but we need to call out their dietary habits for what they are. Its just a lack of commitment and nothing else tbh. If you cant be VK, thats fine, because he takes his fitness extremely seriously, but that doesnt give you an excuse to not maintain mid level athlete fitness.

 

[ArabKnight]

Best batter in gully cricket. And we all know how high the standards of gully cricket are

You didn’t answer the question.


Yea, fortunately I’ve only had first-hand experience in gully cricket. I’m sure this trend would be the same in club, domestic, and international cricket.

 

[Moiza]

The Pakistan concept of Roti Salan and Desi Ghee is outdated. There isnt some magic that gets unlocked when chicken is combined with a tub of oil to create Salan.


The basic concept of nutrition is carbs, proteins and fats. There is no way around it. You need to have a proper mix of all 3 to maintain proper fitness.

Like someone mentioned above the dedication of Djokovic, elite fitness comes from dedication. Tennis players are out playing hours and hours of non stop intense tennis and we have players who are down for the count after taking 2 quick singles. The fitness level across cricket, not just pakistan, is atrocious when you compare it with other sports like football, tennis, rugby etc.

 

[ArabKnight]

Cant argue with this. Was not always the best batters but the one who could hit the biggest for sure.


But as Flat_Track_Bully said above, if you cant maintain 12% BF all year round then where is your commitment as an athlete. VK is a good example of what good nutrition can do for you, some is James Anderson. If you look at Australian teams from this and the previous decade, it is evident why good nutrition to be necessary to be the best in the world. South African and New Zealand teams are also good examples of that.

I'm a very big Imam and Babar fan but we need to call out their dietary habits for what they are. Its just a lack of commitment and nothing else tbh. If you cant be VK, thats fine, because he takes his fitness extremely seriously, but that doesnt give you an excuse to not maintain mid level athlete fitness.

The problem with most of the Pakistani batters is that they are technically deficient. Not that they are physically unfit. They can’t even pierce the gaps & struggle to get bat-on-ball. Why do batters like Babar and Imam play so many dot balls? It’s not because they got a desi belly. They simply lack the required technique to score effective and match-winning runs.

We have dozens of beautiful batters kept out of the team for political, cultural, etc. reasons.

 

[hitthestump]

As a nation Pakistan is wayyy behind in terms of knowledge of fitness and nutrition.

There have been fitness discussions before on PP and most posters have no idea what they're talking about. See Post #4 for another example of this.

 

[Moiza]

The problem with most of the Pakistani batters is that they are technically deficient. Not that they are physically unfit. They can’t even pierce the gaps & struggle to get bat-on-ball. Why do batters like Babar and Imam play so many dot balls? It’s not because they got a desi belly. They simply lack the required technique to score effective and match-winning runs.

We have dozens of beautiful batters kept out of the team for political, cultural, etc. reasons.

Those are 2 different point altogether. Their technical ability has nothing to do with fitness.

Say hypothetically, Imam is better Kohli at everything with current fitness. He would only become better by being fitter, he cant possibly lose his batting skill by being fitter.

Fitness is much more than being able to run quicker and hit longer sixes. Being fit makes you lighter, more agile and makes your reflexes even better. Any person who has ever lose more than 5 KG of weight will agree to this fact.

 

[saqib.rai]

The problem with most of the Pakistani batters is that they are technically deficient. Not that they are physically unfit. They can’t even pierce the gaps & struggle to get bat-on-ball. Why do batters like Babar and Imam play so many dot balls? It’s not because they got a desi belly. They simply lack the required technique to score effective and match-winning runs.

We have dozens of beautiful batters kept out of the team for political, cultural, etc. reasons.

Are they kept out of the PSL as well? Where cooperates are spending millions to win the league?
I am guessing they don't care about their millions and want sifarshi players in the team.

The Pakistani notion that we are so 'talented' will never go away. A slacker like myself got into the best university in Pakistan, just goes to show the level of talent in Pakistan.
I choose to move abroad and here the myth that I grew up with "Pakistan has talent in abundance " was busted.

 

[Savak]

I have managed to lose body fat in 2 months by following the process below

- A healthy breakfast in the morning ie 3-4 egg whites, a bowl of oatmeal mixed with barn cereal. Occasionally I will substitute it for two slices of brown bread mixed with peanut butter

- A healthy lunch ie chicken, kebabs, fish mixed with salad

- Nuts like peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios for snack in the evening. Occasionally i will substitute it for rice biscuit plain

- Since it is impossible being Pakistani to completely eliminate Pakistani cuisine, I make it a point to enjoy Pakistani cuisine if cooked at home in moderate amounts ie biryani, karhai, daal, bhindi, haleem, kaleji, ghost, roasht.

- 2-3 cups of green tea daily

- A cup of green tea and black coffee before going to the gym

- 8-10 cups of water daily

- 2 hours workout 6 days a week ie one hour weights and then one hour cardio

- You have to live a little otherwise within 2-3 weeks your body will crave for some cheat meals so it is okay to have some vices ie one glass of soft drink or a little bit of ice cream on the weekend

- Please make it a point to avoid daily soft drinks, ice cream. Trust me, you do this and you will start seeing a major difference in your body and appearance.

Our players sadly do not want to compromise on their safe buds. Plus I doubt whether they consistently work out and follow the correct regime because I have seen people lose body fat, weight even if they religiously work out despite not making drastic changes to their diet.

 

[Moiza]

As a nation Pakistan is wayyy behind in terms of knowledge of fitness and nutrition.

There have been fitness discussions before on PP and most posters have no idea what they're talking about. See Post #4 for another example of this.

Agreed on this.

I am tired of this argument that Sarfraz runs quick between wickets. Well, he can run even quicker if he is willing to lose some kilos of weight.

Dont get me started on Azam Khan. People actually dont realize that while going to the gym and playing cricket so regularly, the guy is munching on easily above 5000-6000 calories on a consistent basis to maintain that level of bodyfat. Any person who knows a thing or two about nutrition can see that Azam Khan must have a RIDICULOUSLY bad diet to maintain this level of body fat despite being a cricketer.

Heck you cant even maintain this level of body fat while having KFC 3 times a week. I am genuinely curious to find out what the guy is eating to consistently be so fat. Maybe he is downing jugs of oil, thats the only explanation I can think of.

 

[Moiza]

Are they kept out of the PSL as well? Where cooperates are spending millions to win the league?
I am guessing they don't care about their millions and want sifarshi players in the team.

The Pakistani notion that we are so 'talented' will never go away. A slacker like myself got into the best university in Pakistan, just goes to show the level of talent in Pakistan.
I choose to move abroad and here the myth that I grew up with "Pakistan has talent in abundance " was busted.

On a totally different note, truer words have not been spoken. Any person who boasts about the "talent" in PK has never step a foot outside PK.

It would be very Elitist of me to say this, but the biggest solution for problems of PK, be it cricket or otherwise, is for people to once in their life go outside PK and see the world for what it really is. All misconceptions will be blown away in a day.

 

[Moiza]

I have managed to lose body fat in 2 months by following the process below

- A healthy breakfast in the morning ie 3-4 egg whites, a bowl of oatmeal mixed with barn cereal. Occasionally I will substitute it for two slices of brown bread mixed with peanut butter

- A healthy lunch ie chicken, kebabs, fish mixed with salad

- Nuts like peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios for snack in the evening. Occasionally i will substitute it for rice biscuit plain

- Since it is impossible being Pakistani to completely eliminate Pakistani cuisine, I make it a point to enjoy Pakistani cuisine if cooked at home in moderate amounts ie biryani, karhai, daal, bhindi, haleem, kaleji, ghost, roasht.

- 2-3 cups of green tea daily

- A cup of green tea and black coffee before going to the gym

- 8-10 cups of water daily

- 2 hours workout 6 days a week ie one hour weights and then one hour cardio

- You have to live a little otherwise within 2-3 weeks your body will crave for some cheat meals so it is okay to have some vices ie one glass of soft drink or a little bit of ice cream on the weekend

- Please make it a point to avoid daily soft drinks, ice cream. Trust me, you do this and you will start seeing a major difference in your body and appearance.

Our players sadly do not want to compromise on their safe buds. Plus I doubt whether they consistently work out and follow the correct regime because I have seen people lose body fat, weight even if they religiously work out despite not making drastic changes to their diet.

The diet and schedule you have mentioned above could get a person to 15% BF easily. This is quite intense for our players lol.

I am not even asking this. I am asking for God sake just be around 20% or lower. You can do that without doing any of the things you have mentioned above and just by not eating excessive junk food and nothing else. Gym and Cardio is already a part of their routine so all they need to be is to have a bare average diet and nothing else.

The only explanation is that our players are extremely non serious about their diet. I dont think with consistent gym and cardio our players are able to get that unfit unless Nihari, Biryani, Salan, Roti etc are a staple in their diet.

 

[Moiza]

Corruption, favoritism, & racism are real problems in Pakistan. You probably took advantage of the quota system. These problems are part & parcel of this country.

Seems like you have a personal agenda against Sarfraz Ahmed and Azam Khan. I wonder why.

No agenda here bro. Sarfraz got extremely unfit while being the captain and magically regained his fitness as soon as he was dropped while Azam is just obese.

If you take off your provincial (read: Sindh) lens, you will see the other players I have mentioned in the post which I have mentioned below:

• Babar
• Harris Rauf
• Imam
• Imad
• Harris Sohail
• Umar Akmal

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Pakistan is a cursed nation.

Your best bowlers get injured/suspended/banned ahead of major tournaments. (Waqar, Shoaib, Asif, Amir, Junaid, Naseem etc)

And, your best LOI batsmen can’t pass a standard fitness test. (Sharjeel, Umar, Sohail, Azam etc)

To top it off, the fitness freaks (Masood, Hassan etc) get a longer rope but can’t win you a game with bat/ball.

 

[ahmadharis1]

Only Pakistanis can somehow think that it's ok for professional athletes to be overweight and that fitness does not matter.

 

[kron]

Can you imagine, your job is to be an athlete and you turn up on the field overweight

Normal guys with jobs, families and not a lot of time are in better shape. How do you expect to be at peak performance with love handles and excess weight slowing you down?

Put the roti down

They should ban salan roti for any player that becomes pro and weigh them every week.

The maximum a player should be is 12% bodyfat.

That's right. Optimal body fat should be 10 to 15% for an athlete. Special athletes like ronaldo may go sub 10 but it's not sustainable.

 

[kron]

The diet and schedule you have mentioned above could get a person to 15% BF easily. This is quite intense for our players lol.

I am not even asking this. I am asking for God sake just be around 20% or lower. You can do that without doing any of the things you have mentioned above and just by not eating excessive junk food and nothing else. Gym and Cardio is already a part of their routine so all they need to be is to have a bare average diet and nothing else.

The only explanation is that our players are extremely non serious about their diet. I dont think with consistent gym and cardio our players are able to get that unfit unless Nihari, Biryani, Salan, Roti etc are a staple in their diet.

Pakistani food too tasty bro ha

 

[kron]

I have managed to lose body fat in 2 months by following the process below

- A healthy breakfast in the morning ie 3-4 egg whites, a bowl of oatmeal mixed with barn cereal. Occasionally I will substitute it for two slices of brown bread mixed with peanut butter

- A healthy lunch ie chicken, kebabs, fish mixed with salad

- Nuts like peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios for snack in the evening. Occasionally i will substitute it for rice biscuit plain

- Since it is impossible being Pakistani to completely eliminate Pakistani cuisine, I make it a point to enjoy Pakistani cuisine if cooked at home in moderate amounts ie biryani, karhai, daal, bhindi, haleem, kaleji, ghost, roasht.

- 2-3 cups of green tea daily

- A cup of green tea and black coffee before going to the gym

- 8-10 cups of water daily

- 2 hours workout 6 days a week ie one hour weights and then one hour cardio

- You have to live a little otherwise within 2-3 weeks your body will crave for some cheat meals so it is okay to have some vices ie one glass of soft drink or a little bit of ice cream on the weekend

- Please make it a point to avoid daily soft drinks, ice cream. Trust me, you do this and you will start seeing a major difference in your body and appearance.

Our players sadly do not want to compromise on their safe buds. Plus I doubt whether they consistently work out and follow the correct regime because I have seen people lose body fat, weight even if they religiously work out despite not making drastic changes to their diet.

Wahab riaz when I met him In person and rauf too had the perfect physique. Sinewy, lean, ripped with correct proportions

 

[LegendAli]

Only Pakistanis can somehow think that it's ok for professional athletes to be overweight and that fitness does not matter.

Whose thinking anything? Pakistanis think that it's ok for professional athletes to be overweight and that fitness does not matter because they have evidence to back that up.. Inzimam Ul Haq.

 

[Suleiman]

Here we go… the annual “why is our team fat?” thread that shows up after a big loss.

Doubt this question be asked if we beat India or won the Asia cup.

Makes sense though when you lose in this fashion in a tournament, everything comes under the scanner..

As for the answer, it’s because PCB is an unprofessional board with no standards or guidelines to produce genuine athletes, be it in overall fitness or cricket skills.

They get lucky at times that guys like Shaheen and Babar come through and by the qadr of Allah are exposed to proper coaching from a young age, let alone selected for the youth teams at a young age.

But even then y’all saw how Shaheen was treated after coming off a fresh injury… overbowled.

There’s no procedure, just pure chaos. In every facet of cricket in PCB.

Players sadly have to look out for themselves regarding fitness. PCB can’t be arsed.

 

[Ali T]

I wonder if the PCB has a proper dietician advising the players ?

 

[ExpressPacer]

12% body fat is the minimum required to be a high performing athelete. There are no ifs and buts.

Some of these players must be eating 3000 calories a day for dinner if they are burning from training and probably end up eating 5000+ calories a day. I am sure they drink full fat cola and eat fried chicken. Don't some of them smoke too?

It's just lack of discipline and self respect. If you can't maintain 12% body fat year round then why are you a professional athlete.

Your body fat percentage varies on levels of testosterone. Some people will have a higher body fat percentage no matter how hard they work out because of naturally lower testosterone levels.

I suspect that someone like Babar might have slightly lower levels of testosterone because he is very skiing with small amounts of muscle yet still had a tiny belly.

 

[ExpressPacer]

No agenda here bro. Sarfraz got extremely unfit while being the captain and magically regained his fitness as soon as he was dropped while Azam is just obese.

If you take off your provincial (read: Sindh) lens, you will see the other players I have mentioned in the post which I have mentioned below:

• Babar
• Harris Rauf
• Imam
• Imad
• Harris Sohail
• Umar Akmal

Bro, as I have stated in my other post, body fat percentage does not entirely depend on your diet or how rigorously you exercise. Your testosterone levels play a HUGE role. Anyone that has been working out for a few years will know this.

Some people naturally have higher levels of testosterone which makes it easy for them to build muscle and shed body fat despite a poor diet.

On the other hand, people will low testosterone will still have a high body fat percentage despite overall low body weight. Case in point, I suspect, is Babar Azam. He appears to be very low weight: he has tiny arms, narrow shoulders and thin legs …yet still he has a bit of a belly. I personally think this is a case of low testosterone. Look up “hormonal belly”.

Many studies have also shown that South Asians generally have lower levels of testosterone compared to Europeans. Therefore, comparisons with Aus, NZ & UK arent 100% fair, in my opinion.

Also, if you notice, all of the players in your list are either Punjabi or Urdu speaking. There is clearly a trend here, if you will notice. People from the North, despite similar diets (or even fattier, at times) will have lower levels of body fat and higher levels of muscle. I personally think this is because they are further away from Indian genetics which is naturally vulnerable to lower levels of testosterone.

Not trying to discrimination or anything here. Just sharing my observations and knowledge from having read quite deeply into this area.

 

[Moiza]

Bro, as I have stated in my other post, body fat percentage does not entirely depend on your diet or how rigorously you exercise. Your testosterone levels play a HUGE role. Anyone that has been working out for a few years will know this.

Some people naturally have higher levels of testosterone which makes it easy for them to build muscle and shed body fat despite a poor diet.

On the other hand, people will low testosterone will still have a high body fat percentage despite overall low body weight. Case in point, I suspect, is Babar Azam. He appears to be very low weight: he has tiny arms, narrow shoulders and thin legs …yet still he has a bit of a belly. I personally think this is a case of low testosterone. Look up “hormonal belly”.

Many studies have also shown that South Asians generally have lower levels of testosterone compared to Europeans. Therefore, comparisons with Aus, NZ & UK arent 100% fair, in my opinion.

Also, if you notice, all of the players in your list are either Punjabi or Urdu speaking. There is clearly a trend here, if you will notice. People from the North, despite similar diets (or even fattier, at times) will have lower levels of body fat and higher levels of muscle. I personally think this is because they are further away from Indian genetics which is naturally vulnerable to lower levels of testosterone.

Not trying to discrimination or anything here. Just sharing my observations and knowledge from having read quite deeply into this area.

I would agree with on the points you made. I myself have a frame similar to Babar's and I can understand how hard it is to put on some muscle but then again it is not impossible. It requires discipline and years of hardwork to put on some decent muscle.

Having said that, I can still accept what you said for Babar and Harris. But for Imam, Azam, Imad and Sarfraz to be so visibly fat there is just no excuse. Especially when they were not as fat when they debuted (Imad and Sarfraz specifically). There is a culture of non seriousness across all players who take fitness for granted once they are in the team. Even Babar didnt have this belly when he first started playing.

 

[ExpressPacer]

I would agree with on the points you made. I myself have a frame similar to Babar's and I can understand how hard it is to put on some muscle but then again it is not impossible. It requires discipline and years of hardwork to put on some decent muscle.

Having said that, I can still accept what you said for Babar and Harris. But for Imam, Azam, Imad and Sarfraz to be so visibly fat there is just no excuse. Especially when they were not as fat when they debuted (Imad and Sarfraz specifically). There is a culture of non seriousness across all players who take fitness for granted once they are in the team. Even Babar didnt have this belly when he first started playing.

Respectfully, even if only for health reasons, get your testosterone levels checked if you find it hard to gain muscle and lose fat. You might be fine but that is generally one major symptom.

Azam I’m convinced has some medical problem. Maybe a really slow metabolism.

 

[Moiza]

Respectfully, even if only for health reasons, get your testosterone levels checked if you find it hard to gain muscle and lose fat. You might be fine but that is generally one major symptom.

Azam I’m convinced has some medical problem. Maybe a really slow metabolism.

I have good evidence that the test levels are fine Personally, I went from 48 Kgs to 76 Kgs over a period of 7 years and I look quite good now but I had friends who were doing the same in much lesser time so I can somewhat understand the impacts of genetics on how easily you put on muscle and lose fat.

Although, this isnt confirm news but there were once reports that Azam Khan actually has a serious issue with KFC. Dont know what to believe now a days but Azam Khan is not unknown like most of our Pakistani players. He is quite in with most of the Karachi insta influencers and quite frequently you will see him out at restaurants with his friends. Now there isnt anything wrong with going out to eat but as professional athletes there needs to be some adherence to discipline.

Everybody loves food, there are no 2 ways about it. But you pay a price for munching which can be clearly seen in the case of Azam. In parallel, you have examples like VK and Gill who are gym freaks and treat their bodies like a temple. I cant help not be disappointed when I see Azam waste away his talent due to a lack of fitness.

 

[ahmadharis1]

Whose thinking anything? Pakistanis think that it's ok for professional athletes to be overweight and that fitness does not matter because they have evidence to back that up.. Inzimam Ul Haq.

Inzamam is a one in a million example. Great batsman yes, but I have also never seen another player in my life cause so many runouts and literally fall on top of his stumps playing a regulaton sweep shot.

Just because one overweight player managed to have a solid career does not mean the rest of the country should ignore professional methods and follow his standard

 

[Moiza]

Inzamam is a one in a million example. Great batsman yes, but I have also never seen another player in my life cause so many runouts and literally fall on top of his stumps playing a regulaton sweep shot.

Just because one overweight player managed to have a solid career does not mean the rest of the country should ignore professional methods and follow his standard

To add on what you have already said. Even if Inzi was one in a million, he could have been even greater had he been fitter. He left unutilized potentional on the table which someone like VK didnt. Had VK not taken fitness seriously in 2012, we could have seen a different outcome to his career.

Case in point, Rohit. Although, still great, but nowhere near VK.

 

[NishanKonar]

No offence but Pakistani cuisine is so oily & fatty. Dishes are literally swimming in oil. No wonder most Pakistani players are so fat & unfit

People say Indian food is oily & spicy but nowhere close to Pakistani levels !

 

[NishanKonar]

To add on what you have already said. Even if Inzi was one in a million, he could have been even greater had he been fitter. He left unutilized potentional on the table which someone like VK didnt. Had VK not taken fitness seriously in 2012, we could have seen a different outcome to his career.

Case in point, Rohit. Although, still great, but nowhere near VK.

This is what lot of people dont understand. Inzimam wud have been closer to Sachin or Lara if he had better fitness. This is the flaw in " Inzimam was so successful despite his weight"

Bit like Shoaib Akhtar wud have taken 300 test wickets if he focused more on fitness

 

[Savak]

I wonder if the PCB has a proper dietician advising the players ?

PCB fitness trainers have many times said that when the players go home or go out on social outings, then their diet plans and nutrition are on them, the PCB fitness trainer and nutritionist, dietician cannot go around policing players with a gun 24/7. A lot of players let themselves go in the off season or when they are away from the team, on social outings and come back with higher body fat percentages. Maybe the PCB should start fining and even dropping players from the team for not meeting minimum standards but sadly we never developed our bench strength to make this possible.

 

[hassan918]

PCT players's fitness is probably the worst when we compare it with the likes of England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or ever India. We only have 2-3 players in our XI who we can see are super fit. This is where the management should take more effort to make players fitter so they can perform at their best all the time.

 

[FreakCricket]

No offence but Pakistani cuisine is so oily & fatty. Dishes are literally swimming in oil. No wonder most Pakistani players are so fat & unfit

People say Indian food is oily & spicy but nowhere close to Pakistani levels !

world's unhealthiest food is Indian food they eat everything fried with full of carbs barely any protein, gujrati food is prime example how unhealthy they eat is mind boggling.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Shan Masood despite being one of the fittest batsmen is currently struggling to perform.

Look at Babloo Azam Khan, he is killing the show with his massive hitting capabilities.

 

[Asad T]

This is not going to help the cause:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1707499168422559864

 

[Savak]

This is not going to help the cause:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1707499168422559864

Grilled Lamb Chops, Grilled Fish is fine. Even butter chicken in moderate amounts is fine if the players are burning it off

 

[Third Man]

Grilled Lamb Chops, Grilled Fish is fine. Even butter chicken in moderate amounts is fine if the players are burning it off

The point is that there needs to be a balance between carbs and fats. It's not a good idea to not have any of the two. It's obviously not good to have a lot of both. But if you're not taking one of them, it's fine to have some of the other.

 

[ArabKnight]

This is not going to help the cause:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1707499168422559864

Who the heck even eats butter chicken?

 

[Moiza]

The point is that there needs to be a balance between carbs and fats. It's not a good idea to not have any of the two. It's obviously not good to have a lot of both. But if you're not taking one of them, it's fine to have some of the other.

Even a KFC is fine but the bigger issue is commitment as a sportsman. These guys are getting paid million and even if all of this is eaten by our players in moderate amounts, do you think this is acceptable as we are playing a world cup which comes around every 4 years.

If this news is true then I am extremely disappointed from my team to say the least.

 

[Asad T]

This is not going to help the cause:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1707499168422559864

This is maybe what Babar should say at the most match press conference, detailing where we went wrong today

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Dinner is served Only the SENA teams take their diet seriously.

 

[Major]

Whats with the criticism for desi food not being healthy?

What else are they suppose to eat?

Just a social media hoax, that oh desi food is unhealthy eat white people food........

Point is, you need to burn the calories. Eating a Karhai or Biryani is not an issue, its burning of that fat which is the issue.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Batting burns a reasonable amount of calories. I've had net sessions where I am drenched in sweat afterwards.

Someone like Azam Khan could easily shift weight. Being that fat and playing sports means he must eat at least 3500 calories a day.

As I've said before he could lose weight by just slightly reducing his portions, swapping soda for diet varients and cutting down a little bit of carbs. Add in a fast walk or other low intensity exercise and he can probably lose 2-3lbs a week safely without doing anything major.

He really has no excuse.

 

[topspin]

Our players never learn:

Biryani blues: Wasim Akram slams Pakistan team's diet before World Cup​

Biryani blues: Wasim Akram slams Pakistan teams diet before World Cup

Wasim Akram says he has often seen national cricketers indulge in junk food at public events.

zeenews.india.com

 

[topspin]

Babar should know better than everyone because there was a time when he was about to eat biryani before he was stopped by Wasim.

Weak and misguided leadership from Captain Milestone once again.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Guys plz stay on topic!

This thread is not for the discussion of Misbah.

 

[daytrader]

 

[heddie19]

Babar should know better than everyone because there was a time when he was about to eat biryani before he was stopped by Wasim.

Weak and misguided leadership from Captain Milestone once again.

There is nothing wrong with eating biryani or eating anything at all. It is just the amount you're eating and not going in the caloric surplus. The gora complex is still quite high in this region even after 77 years.

 

[shah_1]

Babar's conversion rate of 50 to 100 has been poor for last year or so. Maybe his fitness has gone down the drain. There is no discipline at all.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

There is nothing wrong with eating biryani or eating anything at all. It is just the amount you're eating and not going in the caloric surplus. The gora complex is still quite high in this region even after 77 years.

Its easier to go over a calorie limit eating dense carbohydrate food like Biryani.

What appears to be a small plate can have hundreds of calories.

Do you think Babar ( or any of our players) weigh up the amounts they are eating to see if it fits with their macros?

It's unlikely.

For athletes, especially those travelling a lot its far better to just avoid this type of food to stay safe.

 

[Moiza]

Whats with the criticism for desi food not being healthy?

What else are they suppose to eat?

Just a social media hoax, that oh desi food is unhealthy eat white people food........

Point is, you need to burn the calories. Eating a Karhai or Biryani is not an issue, its burning of that fat which is the issue.

Any person who has ever cooked a desi meal can answer this question.

There is no desi dish that can be made without putting in absence amounts of oil. That is the price you pay for extremely good taste. When I started cooking myself, I was surprised to see that even Daal Maash is full of oil. I was expecting oil in karahi but not in daal mash.

The concept is simple. High protein diets is the way to go. This isnt to say that gora foods are superior to desi food, the point of the matter is that those food have much better macro nutrient balance than desi food.

When I shifted abroad, my body fat dropped from 25% to 18% just by not eating rotian, karahi and biryani and shifting to chicken burritos.

 

[Moiza]

Batting burns a reasonable amount of calories. I've had net sessions where I am drenched in sweat afterwards.

Someone like Azam Khan could easily shift weight. Being that fat and playing sports means he must eat at least 3500 calories a day.

As I've said before he could lose weight by just slightly reducing his portions, swapping soda for diet varients and cutting down a little bit of carbs. Add in a fast walk or other low intensity exercise and he can probably lose 2-3lbs a week safely without doing anything major.

He really has no excuse.

This has been my point from day one. For Azam to maintain his weight, he is eating A LOT of food. Probably in excess of 3.5K calories, which for someone who knows nutrition, is a lot of food.

I tried 3000 calories of clean eating for a while and I almost threw up everyday due to the how much I was eating. Anybody who knows even 1% about nutrition, knows that the diet of some of our players is ridiculously bad to be at the weight they are.

 

[gazza619]

Living in Pakistan and following a strict diet is incredibly challenging. I feel for the athletes.

 

[heddie19]

Any person who has ever cooked a desi meal can answer this question.

There is no desi dish that can be made without putting in absence amounts of oil. That is the price you pay for extremely good taste. When I started cooking myself, I was surprised to see that even Daal Maash is full of oil. I was expecting oil in karahi but not in daal mash.

The concept is simple. High protein diets is the way to go. This isnt to say that gora foods are superior to desi food, the point of the matter is that those food have much better macro nutrient balance than desi food.

When I shifted abroad, my body fat dropped from 25% to 18% just by not eating rotian, karahi and biryani and shifting to chicken burritos.

You probably were having wrong food in Pakistan then. I eat desi 5 days out of 7 and Most of the salans I eat are often oil free or are cooked with very little. There is a substitute for everything. BBQ is desi too and is made oil free so there goes your point.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

You probably were having wrong food in Pakistan then. I eat desi 5 days out of 7 and Most of the salans I eat are often oil free or are cooked with very little. There is a substitute for everything. BBQ is desi too and is made oil free so there goes your point.

Its unlikely that players who are on the move all the time have access to oil free food or cooked with good ingredients.

 

[Major]

Any person who has ever cooked a desi meal can answer this question.

There is no desi dish that can be made without putting in absence amounts of oil. That is the price you pay for extremely good taste. When I started cooking myself, I was surprised to see that even Daal Maash is full of oil. I was expecting oil in karahi but not in daal mash.

The concept is simple. High protein diets is the way to go. This isnt to say that gora foods are superior to desi food, the point of the matter is that those food have much better macro nutrient balance than desi food.

When I shifted abroad, my body fat dropped from 25% to 18% just by not eating rotian, karahi and biryani and shifting to chicken burritos.

lol bro, you cannot cook food without oil...

Not all oils are bad.. Yes cooking in ghee and butter is a health risk, but stop classifying all oils as bad. Rotian, karahai are not bad foods.

Its just that desi dillema, where black cola is bad but 7up is good.

Its all about burning the calories after eating. Thats it. Some people are required to increase their diet and than do work our. Some people are required to reduce their diet to get slim from fat.

 

[Major]

Its unlikely that players who are on the move all the time have access to oil free food or cooked with good ingredients.

its always the overseas that whine about it.

Many of these players grew up soo poor that they never had a proper biryani or chicken dish in their lives.

 

[Moiza]

95% of the posts I make on this forum are in defense of Babar and the boys but lethargic and non serious attitude needs to be called out.

These are not some gully cricketers who are munching on food recklessly because they grew up poor. This are athletes who are representing the country on a global level. As much as I admire bobby, there is no excuse for why his fitness has progressively worsened over time rather than improving. Same is the case for Imam.

I am all for supporting your countrymen but this support shouldnt be that blind that it stops you from calling a spade a spade. AUS, SAF, NZ, ENG cricketers are setting the benchmark for fitness and our players are falling short. I will never criticize the team but being out of form or failing to win something because those things happen. What I cannot stand for as a cricket fan is that players dont even control the stuff that is 100% in their hands.

This is the same attitude that has led to the downfall of many players. Sarfraz and Imad were quite overweight when they were playing for PCT but the moment they get dropped, they finally find the magic diet and drop 5-10 kilos. Same is the case with Azam Khan. Not everyone can be a Jos Buttler like many at PP want Babar to do, but him not taking fitness seriously is something no fan should stand by, no matter who much you love Babar.

Playing for Pakistan is not anybody's birth right, even if the player under question is BA. Playing for Pakistan is a privilege and our players need to take it as such. They can munch on these foods when they are retired, not on the eve of the WC.

 

[Moiza]

Its unlikely that players who are on the move all the time have access to oil free food or cooked with good ingredients.

Footballers who move much more than cricketers manage to maintain their fitness. Even a 4th division football team of any country looks fitter than our boys in green.

Its lethargic attitude, nothing else.

 

[Moiza]

He isnt unfit but he is far from the standards set by the likes of Kohli, Faf, Miller, etc.


I rate Babar the batsman and the captain very highly but lethargic attitude toward fitness is something I will never stand by. If I can maintain this kind of body fat working a 9 to 5 then the captain of the PCT needs to do better.

 

[heddie19]

He isnt unfit but he is far from the standards set by the likes of Kohli, Faf, Miller, etc.


I rate Babar the batsman and the captain very highly but lethargic attitude toward fitness is something I will never stand by. If I can maintain this kind of body fat working a 9 to 5 then the captain of the PCT needs to do better.

View attachment 136963

Why sharing posts that are like a couple of years ago?

There should be a limit to the propaganda too. Help yourself brother.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Footballers who move much more than cricketers manage to maintain their fitness. Even a 4th division football team of any country looks fitter than our boys in green.

Its lethargic attitude, nothing else.

Yeah agreed. Thats why while I understand - our players don't have the expertise to understand how to balance it in a diet.

Therefore, its better they just avoid it.

 

[Asad T]

Shadab on the loss to Australia today: "We got a little bit experience of conditions [in Hyderabad]. [On Hyderabadi biryani] We are eating it daily, and perhaps that is why we are getting a bit slow (laughs)."

This buffet menu, another ploy by the BCCI to undermine our cricket!