Imam-ul-Haq Ruled Out Of Pakistan vs England Lord's Test

Imam-ul-Haq ruled out vs England [Source: AFP]

Ahead of Day 4 of the second Test between Pakistan and England, the visitors have suffered a massive jolt with their opening batter, Imam-ul-Haq, ruled out of the remainder of the Test. The batter sustained an injury on Day 1, and he didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s first innings.

The batter was sent for scans, and according to Cricinfo, Imam was diagnosed with a grade 1 tear in his left calf, and he has been advised a ten-day rest. PCB has not given an official confirmation, but it looks highly unlikely that the management would take a risk with him.

Pakistan set to play with 10 players amid Imam's injury

Imam’s unfortunate injury has increased Pakistan’s headache as the team played with just ten batters in the first innings and is set to play with ten men once again.

The Pakistan batters are struggling to score runs in the ongoing series, and with one man down, the pressure increases on the rest of the batters to score the bulk of the runs in the fourth-innings chase.

With Imam ruled out, the rest of the Pakistan order was shuffled in the first innings, and the move failed to deliver the goods as Pakistan got bundled out for a paltry 110.

Imam's Test misery ends with an unfortunate injury

Imam was out of the Test team for quite a while, and a strong domestic performance helped him regain a place in the Test team.

However, a comeback into the red-ball side wasn’t all that great, as the southpaw struggled against the West Indies away from home, and the trend continued in the first Test against England.

In the two-match Test series against the Windies, Imam only scored 89 runs, with an average of 22.25. He had a bit of experience playing in England, and the southpaw was expected to do better in familiar English conditions.

Also Read: Doubts Cast On Imam ul Haq's Injury From English Camp

But once again, he failed, as Imam could only score 42 runs in the first Test, including a five-ball duck in the second innings. The ongoing Lord’s Test was perhaps his last chance to redeem himself, but an unfortunate injury ended Imam’s match.

Will Imam-ul-Haq play the third Test vs England?

The third Test between Pakistan and England commences on September 9, and the Pakistan batter has been advised a ten-day rest period. Even if he recovers on time, the 30-year-old might be touch and go for the third Test as he might not get the appropriate match practice before the all-important series finale begins.

There are chances that Imam might get ruled out of the third Test vs England, and in that scenario, the team will need to find a replacement.

For the series finale at Edgbaston, Shan Masood could be promoted to the top alongside Azan Awais, and with Imam unsure for the third Test, captain Babar Azam could be forced to bring Salman Agha back into the XI.

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