‘Imam injury is a big question mark’ - Aaqib Javed defends Pakistan overhaul

Former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed has called for an inquiry into Imam-ul-Haq’s injury during the ongoing England tour while defending the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) controversial mid-series overhaul.

Pakistan lost the first two Tests heavily, suffering an innings-and-103-run defeat at Headingley before going down by 194 runs at Lord’s. The poor results prompted the PCB to send seven players home, including Imam, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from their positions.

Aaqib described Imam’s injury as a major disappointment and said the circumstances surrounding it needed to be thoroughly examined. However, he stopped short of accusing the opener of faking the injury, instead questioning how a muscle strain could prevent him from batting in both innings.

He also defended the PCB’s decision to make sweeping changes midway through the series, arguing that Pakistan’s inability to compete forced the board to take action.

“The Imam injury is a big question mark, and a deep disappointment. 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,” said Aaqib as quoted by Outlook.

“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,” he added.

The selector also defended the sweeping changes made ahead of the final Test, arguing that the team’s performances had fallen well below acceptable standards. He acknowledged that the first two matches had exposed serious shortcomings in Pakistan’s team balance and bowling attack, leaving the PCB with little choice but to make significant changes.

“Two Test matches have come and gone and the team has not competed in any way. There's one Test still to go,” said Aaqib.

He noted that Ubaid Shah, who can bowl at around 140kph, could have added a different dimension to Pakistan’s attack and was among the players Aaqib believed should have been given an opportunity. He argued that the team needed greater variety in its bowling unit and questioned the decision to leave out wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori. Aaqib also acknowledged that Salman Ali Agha’s poor form made his exclusion understandable.

“No batter in our top seven bowls. We should have included an allrounder, but most importantly, get in Ubaid Shah, who bowls close to 140kph. One fast bowler changes the composition of your attack. The world is laughing at us because we can't even compete. The message we're sending to the recalled players is that you have to raise your game on important tours and compete, and we should be able to see some effort,” said Aaqib.