Pakistan’s opening batter Imam-ul-Haq is preparing to hire a lawyer to defend himself against an urgent investigation launched by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The inquiry centers on a calf injury that forced him out of action during the second Test against England.
Following these events, team management released him alongside six other squad members, and he landed back home on Tuesday. Board officials claim he suffered a tear that required ten days of rest, preventing him from taking to the crease in either innings after he initially got hurt while fielding. Doubts arose on the fourth day of the match when television cameras spotted him wearing a patch on his leg and awkwardly practicing throwdowns before team staff hurried him back to the pavilion. Several former players publicly questioned the legitimacy of the issue, suspecting he faked the physical problem.
Scrutiny intensified further when former chief selector Muhammad Wasim disclosed that team physio Cliffe Deacon previously flagged concerns regarding the player’s injury patterns during a 2022 Test tour of England. Matters worsened with revelations from a media report indicating that a separate board committee in 2025 concluded the athlete fabricated a toe injury during a trip to New Zealand and suggested a complete ban across all formats. Squad Overhaul and Remaining Itinerary Meanwhile, management changes occurred after heavy defeats in the opening two games, where the squad lost by an innings and 103 runs followed by a 194 run defeat. Former head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed alongside four team members named Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, and Khurram Shahzad will stay in England for several extra days despite being dropped ahead of the third and final match scheduled in Birmingham from September 9 to 13.
An internal source told reporters, ‘Imam is in big trouble, and he is also likely to seek legal counsel when he has to appear to face an inquiry committee of the Board which will look into his calf muscle injury which didn’t allow him to bat in both innings of the second Test.
