LAHORE: Five out of 27 centrally-contracted players of the Pakistan Cricket Board, including seasoned Test batsman Moha­mad Hafeez, will not appear for the fitness test at the national camp which is in progress here at the National Cricket Academy.

Apart from Hafeez, former national T20 skipper Shahid Afridi, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim and Umar Amin will not undergo the fitness test.

The fitness camp is being supervised by national team trainer Grant Luden with the assistance of NCA trainers and doctors.

Though Afridi has informed the PCB about his knee problem for skipping the fitness test, some in cricketing circles believe the experienced all-rounder opted to skip the test feeling he was not likely to be picked for national T20 duty anytime soon.

Newly-appointed national chief selector and former Test captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, after taking charge, had in a media conference expressed that there weren’t many T20 Internationals lined up for Pakistan during the current year and 2017, and therefore talented youngsters would be given as many chances as possible.

The other four players deciding to avoid the fitness test are also not fully fit, it is strongly believed.

Though 35-year-old Hafeez is also on the injury list, according to media reports, surprisingly the 47-Test veteran has said that he will attend the national boot camp being held in Abbottabad from May 13.

How the right-handed top-order batsman will gather full fitness to attend the demanding camp, starting in three days’ time, remains a question.

Meanwhile, Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has returned home after performing Umrah and has reported at the NCA fitness camp, but is yet to appear in it.

Misbah, who is one of the fittest players among the current alot and will be 42 come May 28, must be feeling fatigued so he may undergo the fitness test on Thursday, the last day of the camp.

As the NCA fitness camp is being held in-camera, rumours are doing the rounds indicating the real exercise had already ended on Monday and the remaining part of the fitness camp would be mere eyewash.

However, rejecting these rumours, a PCB spokesman said the fitness camp was on and several players were yet to appear for the test.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2016