Selector Questions Imam-ul-Haq's Injury During England Tour
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s bruising tour of England has taken a fresh twist, with a senior selector openly questioning Imam-ul-Haq’s injury and demanding an inquiry into how the opener was handled during the Lord’s Test.
Aaqib Javed, part of the four-member national selection panel, has cast doubt on the severity of Imam’s calf problem after the left-hander failed to bat in either innings of Pakistan’s 194-run defeat in the second Test.
Selector demands answers over Imam absence
“An inquiry will be conducted into this matter,” Aaqib told private channel Geo TV in an interview aired on Tuesday night, cutting straight to the point.
His frustration centres on Imam pulling up with a calf injury on the first day at Lord’s, leaving the field and playing no further part in the match. For a side already under pressure after a heavy loss at Headingley, the sight of a senior opener not taking guard at all across two innings has clearly not gone down well in selection circles.
“How is it possible that you failed to come out to bat in both innings after pulling up a muscle?” Aaqib said. “Injuries do occur and we have seen instances in the past where players — even with casts — have gone out and made an effort. This situation is different. It is a matter of great concern, and action will be taken regarding it.”
The comments echo the mood in sections of the Pakistan media, where former chief selector Mohammad Wasim and others have already voiced concern over Imam’s absence.
Under that glare, Imam appeared briefly in the outfield before play on the fourth day, shadow-batting with his left calf heavily strapped and a visible limp. The optics only intensified the debate: if he could move, why didn’t he bat in a crisis?
Tour reshaped mid-stream
The fallout from back-to-back defeats at Headingley and Lord’s has been swift. Imam is among seven players recalled from England by the Pakistan Cricket Board, along with bowling coach Umar Gul and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, as the PCB effectively resets the red-ball setup mid-tour.
White-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke will now step in to take charge for the final Test at Birmingham starting September 9, a rare and stark reshuffle with a series still alive.
Selectores have doubled down on change. Five uncapped players are in the squad, alongside two relatively raw openers, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who share just 10 Tests between them. Pakistan are gambling on fresh legs and unscarred minds to salvage something from a tour that has drifted badly.
Tension over Lord’s selection
Beneath the surface, the Imam issue is only one strand of a broader tug-of-war over selection and authority.
Reports from the tour point to serious differences between team management and Aaqib over the XI picked for Lord’s, disagreements sharp enough to force adjustments mid-series. Aaqib wanted a different balance and was not shy about saying so.
“We can’t just keep waiting,” he said. He revealed he had spoken to captain Babar Azam and head coach Sarfaraz after the first Test, urging them to bring in a fast-bowling allrounder and more pace.
His preference was clear: include Ubaid Shah, who he highlighted as a 140 kph bowler, and give a debut to wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori, even if it meant dropping Mohammad Rizwan. The tour management, though, made only one change, resting Salman Ali Agha — who had captained in Babar’s injury-enforced absence in the first Test — while leaving Rizwan in place.
“Agha was rightly rested, Ghazi Ghori was available on the tour and should have played instead of Rizwan,” Aaqib said, underlining his belief that Pakistan missed a chance to inject pace and a new wicketkeeping option at Lord’s.
A tour on edge
What began as a testing away series has now turned into a full-blown examination of Pakistan’s medical protocols, selection structure and dressing-room alignment. An opener’s injured calf has become the trigger for a wider inquest.
With a new coaching pair stepping in, uncapped players waiting for a shot, and a senior selector demanding accountability, Birmingham will not just be about runs and wickets. It will be a measure of who still holds the reins in Pakistan cricket — and who might be losing their grip.
