Former England pacer Stuart Broad has slammed the Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq, who was ruled out of the second Test against England at Lord’s due to a calf injury. Notably, Imam suffered the injury while fielding on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test.
He was initially attended by the Pakistan medical team before being ruled out for the remainder of the fixture. Interestingly, Imam was seen practising batting on the sidelines of the venue with his injured left calf taped up, which didn’t go down well with Broad.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Broad questioned Imam for opting to practise in full view of the crowd and cameras despite his injury being serious enough to rule him out of the Test. Further, Broad’s comments drew support from David Warner.
“Did he come out and bat after all this? That’s all for show. He has got a bit of stick from the media and maybe his teammates. Whatever. You can do that inside the indoor school without anyone seeing, don’t have to come wearing shorts and tape and hobble around like that. I am not impressed with that. Sorry,” Broad said.
Delving into the details of the Lord’s Test, England batted first and posted 290 runs, thanks to Jamie Smith’s 61 and Jordan Cox’s 55. In response, Pakistan got bundled out for 110 runs in 37.2 overs. Ollie Robinson scalped a four-wicket haul.
In the third innings, England could score only 208 runs in 54.2 overs as Mohammad Abbas scalped a five-wicket haul. In the chase, Pakistan scored only 194 runs in 50.5 overs despite Saud Shakeel’s 97-run knock, losing the contest by 194 runs.
On Monday, August 31, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the updated squad for the third and final Test.
Pakistan’s updated squad: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
