It was a tough moment during the third ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Imam-ul-Haq, a seasoned opener, got hurt and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. This was a big moment, especially since he stepped in to replace Usman Khan, who was already sidelined with his own injury.
So, what happened to Imam?
Well, this incident went down in the third over of Pakistan’s innings. New Zealand had just set a challenging total of 264 runs in a game that was affected by rain and limited to 42 overs. Imam and his opening partner, Abdullah Shafique, were taking it slow at first, trying to settle in when disaster struck for Imam.
After a decent start from the New Zealand bowler Jacob Duffy, who allowed just two runs in his first over, the home team’s captain, Michael Bracewell, decided to switch things up and brought in William O’Rourke to bowl from the other end. O’Rourke delivered a couple of dot balls before Imam nudged a good delivery to the off side for a single. But just as he was making his way to the other end, disaster happened.
A fielder at cover point made a quick throw aimed at the bowler, but the ball bounced unexpectedly off the ground and slammed into Imam’s helmet. It was a nasty hit, with the ball even getting stuck in the grill of his helmet, leaving him in severe pain, especially in his left jaw. The players and physiotherapists from both teams quickly rushed to his aid and, after some time, they decided it was best to take him off the field on a stretcher.
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After the chaos of Imam’s injury, Babar Azam stepped in to join Abdullah Shafique at the crease. At that point in the game, Pakistan was still sitting pretty at 30 runs without losing any wickets, with Shafique and Babar batting confidently on 17 and 7 runs, respectively. It was a tense situation, and everyone was hoping for a quick recovery for Imam, as he’s a crucial player for the team.
