The Sri Lankan government has warned the national cricket team to either get fit in three months or prepare to be fired, after it found that players were unfit for the Zimbabwe series.

Sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said that not one of the 13 players was fit by international standards, but that he has "made an exception this time."

Jayasekara added that only 16 percent body fat was allowed for cricketers, but that most players on the team had 26 percent. He issued a strict warning to anyone exceeding the limit.

Lasith Malinga was recently issued a one-year ban suspended by six months for publicly ridiculing the sports minister`s knowledge of cricket, when the latter remarked that the team`s poor performance was due to low fitness levels.