Imam-ul-Haq could face two-year ban over fake calf injury at Lord's

A two-year ban is on the table for Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq should the Pakistan Cricket Board conclude he acted improperly in connection with a calf injury that ruled him out of both innings of the second Test against England at Lord's. According to reports, the PCB is moving to constitute a high-level committee specifically tasked with investigating the circumstances of that injury.

Imam sustained a low-grade calf strain on the opening day of the Lord's Test while fielding and took no further part in the match with the bat. His absence coincided with a heavy defeat: England posted 290 in their first innings, Pakistan replied with 110, and a target of 389 in the fourth innings proved well beyond them as they were dismissed for 194. The result, a 194-run loss, put Pakistan 2-0 behind in the series.

According to Geo News, No formal charges have been laid and no ban has been imposed. The high-level committee has not yet been constituted, and its composition and terms of reference remain unconfirmed.

What background does the Lord's inquiry follow?

The Lord's investigation does not arise in isolation. A separate PCB committee previously examined an incident from Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in early 2025, after Imam was hit on his right big toe during an indoor net session on March 28 of that year. That committee concluded he had misled medical staff and had deliberately sought to render himself unavailable for Pakistan's first ODI of the New Zealand tour.

Imaging obtained at the time revealed neither a fracture nor a dislocation, and the committee went on to recommend a ban covering all formats. Whether that recommendation was ever converted into a formal sanction remains unresolved and has been excluded from article prose accordingly. The Lord's case is therefore being assessed against the backdrop of a prior finding that Imam had misrepresented injury symptoms on an earlier tour.

What is the next confirmed procedural step?

The immediate next step is the formal constitution of the PCB's high-level committee to examine the Lord's calf injury. Only after that body is established and completes its review can the board move to any decision on charges or sanctions. The PCB has not announced a timeline for concluding the inquiry.

The third Test between Pakistan and England is scheduled to begin on September 9 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Whether the investigation will reach any conclusion before that fixture gets under way has not been confirmed by the board.