A stunning fitness audit exposes deep cracks in Sri Lanka cricket as nearly half the players fail mandatory tests, raising serious concerns over performance, discipline, and future team selection.
Following a series of recurring injuries and inconsistent performances during the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka Cricket together with the Sports Ministry has introduced a strict player fitness testing system to improve standards and accountability within the national setup.
The newly implemented physical fitness test includes five key assessments, notably a 2 km endurance run and a detailed skin fold measurement, aimed at evaluating both stamina and body composition of players in a professional cricket environment.
Under this structured fitness evaluation system, players are awarded a cumulative score based on performance across all five tests, with a minimum benchmark score of 17 required to pass and remain eligible for national and domestic cricket selection.
Recent reports indicate that only 27 out of the 46 participating Sri Lankan cricketers successfully passed the fitness test conducted over the past few days, highlighting a concerning gap in fitness standards within the current player pool.
According to the official grading criteria, players scoring between 0 and 16 are categorized as failing, while scores between 17 and 21 fall under the fair category, 22 to 26 are rated very good, and scores between 27 and 29 are considered excellent in overall physical fitness performance.
Sri Lanka Cricket sources confirmed that 19 players fell into the failing category with scores between 0 and 16, raising serious questions about fitness levels, conditioning, and preparedness at the highest level of competitive cricket.
Among those who passed, 16 players were classified under the fair category, nine players achieved very good ratings, and only two players reached the excellent category, indicating that elite fitness benchmarks are still far from being widely achieved.
Officials emphasized that passing the fitness test is now a mandatory requirement for national team selection, participation in domestic tournaments, and eligibility for league cricket, reinforcing a results-driven and performance-based selection policy.
It is further reported that players who consistently fail to meet the required physical fitness standards will face exclusion from future squads, signaling a major shift toward discipline, professionalism, and long-term performance improvement in Sri Lanka cricket.
