With the ICC World Cup 2015 just around the corner, the world’s best cricket teams are focusing on one thing: Bringing their ‘A-Game’.

The same unfortunately can’t be said for Pakistan’s national cricket team. According to a story published on PK affairs, ‘Boom Boom’ Shahid Afridi was recently fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for being below the required level of fitness. And according to the report, Afridi wasn’t the only one… Umar Akmal, Abdur Rehman and Raza Hasan were also fined. As a penalty all four players will have a quarter of their monthly salaries deducted for a period of four months.

The report also highlights the fact that the PCB is taking the matter very seriously as players are under contract. The board spoke to the media briefly where they revealed certain punitive measures had been taken to ensure players kept up with the terms and conditions of their contract.

As far as player assessment is concerned, 28 players have been assessed, with Wahab Riaz and Nasir Jamshed to be assessed upon their return from the T20 Champions League campaign in India. The players who have managed to retain their fitness levels have been given a bonus, which in the mind of the PCB will motivate other players to get/stay fit.

The PCB has planned to conduct another round of tests slated for sometime in December, before finalizing the new squad in 2015.