Imam Ul Haq's history of faking injuries has emerged |Courtesy - ICC The Imam-ul-Haq injury controversy has taken a new twist as it has emerged that the player has a history of being caught faking fitness issues in order to avoid playing for Pakistan in tough conditions. The star opener did not bat in either innings of the 2nd Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's after suffering a calf strain on the first day of play. Imam's refusal to walk out to bat was widely criticised by cricket experts, with several incidents in the recent past of batters like Rishabh Pant, Chris Woakes, and Nathan Lyon coming to the crease with much more serious injuries. Ahead of the fourth day of play, Imam was seen warming up with his calf taped up. The visuals went viral on social media, with English cricket legend Stuart Broad lashing out at the opening and accusing him of doing dramatics. Now, a report by GEO Sports has revealed that the PCB is investigating the injury. The published information has made a shocking claim that Imam pulled off a similar stunt in 2025, where the governing body's investigation found that he had misrepresented an injury to deliberately miss a match. The incident took place during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in March last year, when they were playing an ODI series. The report states that Imam was hit on the toe in practice. It is suggested that there was no evidence of a fracture or dislocation on X-ray. However, the player complained of severe pain. A medical staff member cleaned up the toe with chemically treated paper after a black mark appeared. An inquiry committee set up by the PCB found that the substance removed from his foot was not a natural blood mark but one that appears to be ink or a marker. Team officials found that Imam was limping when being observed but walking normally otherwise. Meanwhile, he was advised to rest, but he walked 500m to attend an iftar gathering. The committee concluded that there was no proof of a serious injury and found him 'responsible for fabricating, exaggerating or misrepresenting symptoms and misleading medical staff. 'They claimed that Imam pulled of this act in order to avoid opening the batting for Pakistan on fast tracks in New Zealand. The report also claimed that the committee had recommended for a ban on Imam from playing cricket in Pakistan at all levels. The disclosure has come on the back of ex-Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim claiming he was told Imam would fake an injury during his tenure in 2022 during a Test match in Multan. “The physio had actually come to me and told me beforehand. The announcement hadn't even been made yet, and the decision hadn't even been made. I think the player hadn't said anything either. He came and warned me that this was going to happen. And it happened exactly like that. Because of whatever discussions he'd had, he then said that this had happened in the past too, and coaches had complained about similar things," said Wasim in an interaction on Dr Nauman Niaz's YouTube channel. Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb... View More