‘Still feigning injury’: Pakistan’s former chief selector’s allegations against Imam-ul-Haq

Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq (Reuters) Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq’s calf injury has come under further scrutiny after former chief selector Mohammad Wasim made a startling claim about the batsman’s alleged fake history.Imam was ruled out of the rest of the Lord’s Test against England after suffering a left calf strain while starting on the opening day. However, Wasim has now claimed that the batsman has previously used injury fears to avoid playing and claimed that he was warned about one such incident before it happened.Speaking about the Imam’s alleged history of injuries, Wasim said:“In the 2022 Multan Test, the physio warned me in advance that he was going to fake an injury soon. And he did.”Wasim’s comments added another layer to the controversy surrounding Imam, who has missed Pakistan’s ongoing second Test against England after the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed scans showed low calf strain.

What happened at Lord’s?

Imam picked up the injury on the opening day of the Lord’s Test and spent time off the field during Thursday night’s session.The PCB subsequently confirmed the nature of the injury.“Scans later confirmed a poor quality calf strain and Imam is currently undergoing treatment under the supervision of the Pakistan medical team,” the PCB said.“His participation in the rest of the trial is dependent on treatment leading to recovery,” he added.Imam opened the innings alongside youngster Azan Awais during the first Test in Leeds, which Pakistan lost by an innings in three days.He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the Lord’s Test, leaving Pakistan without one of their established opening batsmen.

The struggle in Pakistan continues

Pakistan’s problems at Lord’s extended far beyond the imam’s absence.England took the lead after bowling Pakistan out for just 110, securing a first innings advantage of 180 runs. The visitors had yet to reach 180 in an innings during the series.England’s pace attack made the most of the conditions, Ollie Robinson producing figures of 4-11 from 13 overs, including six maidens. Jofra Archer took 3-26 from 11.2 overs, while Josh Tongue took two wickets and Gus Atkinson took no wickets.Pakistan were dismissed in just 37.2 overs, having returned to bat less than hours after England were bowled out for 290.By the end of the second day, England had stretched their total lead to 261 runs after reaching 81-3 in their second innings before bad light brought an early end.Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali managed to remove Ben Duckett, Jordan Cox and Joe Root in the last over but England remained firmly in control.Wasim’s charge now puts Imam’s injury record under the spotlight, although the PCB has officially diagnosed his latest setback as a low-grade calf injury.