Stuart Broad criticises Imam-ul-Haq's Lord's calf injury: 'It's all for show'

On Day 4 of the second Test at Lord's, former England fast bowler Stuart Broad criticised Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq after the batter, who had been ruled out earlier with a left calf strain sustained on the opening day, was seen practicing with his calf taped; Broad made the comments on Sky Sports and they were reported on August 31, 2026.

Imam suffered a low-grade strain to his left calf while fielding on the opening day and had been attended to by Pakistan's medical team before being ruled out of the remainder of the Test the following day. The injury occurred shortly after he dropped two important catches, and Pakistan were left a batter short for the rest of the match. Reports from inside the Pakistan camp indicated Imam could still have gone out to bat in the second innings if the team required another batter.

On Day 4 Imam was observed on the Lord's sidelines with his left calf taped, knocking a ball around and appearing to limp as he carried out some batting practice. That sighting prompted renewed attention because he had already been officially withdrawn from the match following the opening-day strain. The practice took place in full view of the crowd and cameras, according to the reports.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Broad questioned why Imam chose to practise publicly if the injury was serious enough to rule him out, asking, "Did he come out and bat after all this?" Broad then added: "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."

Former Australia opener David Warner also agreed with Broad's assessment. Broad's remarks have intensified scrutiny of the circumstances in which Imam was withdrawn, and those questions have resurfaced alongside earlier comments from former Pakistan batter and chief selector Mohammad Wasim.

Wasim recalled an incident from 2022 involving Imam during a home Test and said the team's physiotherapist had warned him about a potential injury-related development before an official announcement. "The physio had actually come to me and told me beforehand," Wasim said, adding, "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." He also said: "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."

There has been no official suggestion from Pakistan's team management that Imam fabricated his latest injury. The setback comes amid a difficult run with the bat for Imam, who scored 42 and 0 in the first Test against England in Leeds, which Pakistan lost, and Pakistan were required to manage their batting resources with Imam unavailable for most of the Lord's Test.

Imam was officially withdrawn from the match after suffering a calf strain while fielding on the opening day, and Pakistan continued the Test without one of their specialist batters.