Imam-ul-Haq‘s calf injury has now become a national issue, but all in the wrong way, as everyone in the cricket fraternity is now making a mockery of it. Every cricketer has his fair share of injuries, even aggravated ones, but such an incident where one player is supposedly having to fake his injury, as speculated in this case Imam-ul-Haq is something amusing or a part of the investigation.
To understand the gravity of the issue, Imam-ul-Haq, who supposedly suffered a calf injury on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test match and didn’t come out to bat, raised questions about his fitness but more questions were raised about the Pakistan team management who allowed a player to be a part of the Playing XI when he was not fully fit or unable to bat. The result was evident: England thrashed Pakistan by a whopping 194 runs to win the series 2-0 with one match to go, but the main story that developed was a mockery made of Imam-ul-Haq for the respect he showed for the game he represented his country for.
Imam-ul-Haq and his weird tryst with injuries
It is not the first time that Imam-ul-Haq has been called out for faking his injury on the ground. It may be quite genuine on the part of Imam-ul-Haq that he might have injured his calf and was advised not to bat in both innings, even when with the team was in a dire state, but then his walking normally on the ground on Day 4 of the game raises another question.
Was Imam really injured to that extent that he could not bat when his team needed him direly in both innings, or was he faking the injury only to avoid facing English bowlers in the seaming conditions,a question strongly raised by former English bowler Stuart Broad? The main reason why an injury to a batter like Imam-ul-Haq comes under the direct scanner and radar is due to the weird history Imam-ul-Haq had with his tryst with injuries in the past.
If history has to be a major proof, as allegedly quoted by Former Pakistan player Mohammad Wasim said that Imam-ul-Haq has earlier faked his hamstring injury during the England tour of 2022, as per the suggestion received from Physiotherapist of the Pakistan cricket team, Cliff Deacon, before the match. Another example cites Imam-ul-Haq, who during the 2018 New Zealand tour missed an ODI match, making himself unavailable due to an unknown injury which officials at that time felt was suspicious.
These frequent misses from Imam-ul-Haq have now agitated the Director of the Pakistan selection committee, Aaqib Javed, who has now called for an inquiry regarding the issue that may damage the reputation of Pakistan cricket.
Imam-ul-Haq’s injury is a big question mark- Aaqib Javed
Director of High Performance, Aaqib Javed, has found it amusing that a batter could not be strong enough to sustain an injury and come out to bat and give it all for the country when his team was in need of him. Aaqib Javed strongly opposed the idea that Imam-ul-Haq was unable to move too to an extent that he could not bat in either innings, considering a calf injury, and spoke vividly about it, saying that he will have to face an inquiry to prove the status of his injury whether it is genuine or it is fake. He said :
“He is “deeply disappointed” in the player, and that Imam would have to face an inquiry for his decision, which was down to a low-grade calf tear. The Imam injury is a big question mark, and a deep disappointment,” Aaqib said.
“Players in the past used to get injuries, but they used to put on casts and still tried [to play]. We’ll take action against this. How is it possible that a pulled muscle ruled you out of batting in both innings? He should have tried and fought. He’ll have to face an inquiry; I can’t say he faked it, but a muscle pull like that cannot stop you from batting altogether.”
This statement from Aaqib Javed clearly made it visible that he was certainly not happy with the way Imam-ul-Haq reacted to his injury and how the management supported his stance in this. Further, Aaqib Javed also expressed that the drastic changes he made in the team were justified, citing the poor performance of the team.
“When we select the team as coach or captain and make a squad, we’re responsible for that squad. But once they go on tour, we cannot do anything about the match-to-match combination,” Aaqib Javed said.
“No one doubted these players’ performances when selected. But when players are completely out of form and you’re not competing at all, then we needed to make a decision. When you’re not making the right decisions despite getting messages conveyed to you to play the right combination [that’s a problem]. Your captain, head coach, and management have some responsibilities.”
Pakistan selection comittee was quite in the news making as may as seven changes in the team calling back experienced players like Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq and 5 others alongside coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling consultant Umar Gul bringing in Mike Hesson as the interim coach alongside Ashley Noffke ahead of the 3rd Test which will be a litmus test for Pakistan new look side on 9th September to salvage some pride amongst the controversies around.
On the other hand, Imam-ul-Haq’s career now faces a standstill, facing a black hole with a possibility of a ban if he is found guilty of faking his injury in the Inquiry conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
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