The defeats at Leeds and Lords, and the backlash on the team’s performances prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take the drastic measure of not only changing seven players but also replacing the head coach and bowling coach of the touring squad midway through the tour. Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq, one of the seven Pakistan players to be sent back home after the team’s heavy defeats to England in two Tests, made a quiet and low-profile return Lahore from London on Tuesday.
Imam Likely to Seek Legal Counsel Amid Injury Inquiry
Imam is reportedly facing significant challenges as he prepares to appear before an inquiry committee of the Board. This committee will investigate his calf muscle injury, which prevented him from batting in both innings of the second Test. An insider indicated that Imam may seek legal counsel in light of these developments.
What has got Imam into hot waters was that chief selector Muhammad Wasim has publicly confirmed that former team physio Cliffe Deacon had informed him about the opening batter’s suspicious injury patterns in 2022 during a Test series against England.
But one source said the fact that the PCB didn’t even wait for the third and final Test to finish and took the drastic measure of sending senior players home indicates something has gone wrong behind the scenes in Pakistan cricket and might have triggered the action. Inside information gathered from the PCB and team sources say that it was the injury issue with Imam and the nonchalant attitude of Muhammad Rizwan which eventually triggered the Board’s strong reaction. There has been speculation on whether Imam faked his injury or not but the team management had issued a statement on the second day of the second Test announcing he had sustained a calf muscle injury which later turned out to be a tear while fielding on the first day of the match. All this has led to the PCB deciding to hold an inquiry into the team performances, Imam’s injury and other dressing room issues when the players return home later this month from England.
