PCB cracks whip as Imam-ul-Haq makes quiet return home from England quietly

The defeats at Leeds and Lords, and the backlash on the team's performances, prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take drastic measures

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 here from London on Tuesday.

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.

Inside information gathered from the PCB and team sources says that it was the injury issue with Imam and the nonchalant attitude of Muhammad Rizwan which eventually triggered the Board's strong reaction.

 

"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," one insider said.

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.

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.

More damning has been how the mainstream media has played up an inquiry committee report of the PCB from last year, in which the panel had found Imam guilty of faking a toe injury while touring New Zealand.

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.

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.

Imam, who is also the nephew of former captain and batting great Inzamam-ul-Haq, has appeared in 31 Tests, 75 ODIs and two T20 Internationals in a Pakistan career that began in 2017.