Get fit or lose pay, PCB to players

Lahore
Pakistan’s centrally-contracted players will have to meet the fitness standards set by the team management or else lose 15 per cent of their monthly salary, the country’s cricket board (PCB) warned on Friday. The directive came after new head coach Misbah-ul-Haq had said that top-level fitness was paramount for national team players as lack of it has been the reason for team’s steady decline. The PCB further said a “consistent defaulter” will risk a chance of getting relegated to a lower grade.

Sydney
Mark Waugh calls for scrapping of leg-byes

Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh has called for the scrapping of leg-byes from all forms of cricket, saying the batting side shouldn’t be awarded runs for missing the ball. “You know what, I’ve got a rule change in all cricket: No leg-byes, especially in T20s,” Waugh said while commentating during a Big Bash League match on Thursday. “That should not be two runs. Why do you get runs? You missed the ball,” Waugh added.

New Delhi
Gopichand hopeful of best-ever Oly in Tokyo

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand is hopeful of a best-ever Olympics outing in Tokyo. “We have had some good performances in the last couple of Olympics. This time we will go into the Olympics with a world champion in our team (PV Sindhu), and hopefully, with some good preparations, we can come back with better performances than what we have had in the previous Games,” said Gopichand. — Agencies