Watch: Imam-Ul-Haq suffers career-ending injury; taken to Medical Attention straight from the Ground

Pakistan opener Imam-Ul-Haq was rushed to the hospital on an immediate basis after he injured his jaw during the third ODI against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. It was a brutal blow for the opener, who had to leave the field just after the freak incident.

The incident happened during the third over of Pakistan's innings when Imam-Ul-Haq was taking the strike to New Zealand's fast bowler William O'Rourke. The bowler bowled a short of a length ball around off stump, and Imam played with soft hands before setting off for a quick single.

However, the throw came towards the non-striker's end, and the ball got stuck inside Imam's helmet grill. It is extremely rare to see such kind of an incident, but the batter was in immense pain as he removed his helmet instantly.

The physio arrived to attend the Pakistan opener as he was holding his left jaw in pain. After getting some treatment, the batter had to be taken off the field in a buggy ambulance as he was unable to stand properly.

Watch: Imam-Ul-Haq immediately rushed to the hospital after injuring his jaw

Imam ul Haq retired hurt#PAKvNZ #PakistanCricket #Cricket pic.twitter.com/ulUYUzrPtx

— Urooj Jawed🇵🇰 (@uroojjawed12) April 5, 2025

Imam was unable to maintain his body balance and was rushed out of the field on an urgent basis. He looked in utter pain as he was stretchered off the ground. Pakistan took this as a major blow as they looked for their first win of the ODI series.

It was further reported that Imam-Ul-Haq suffered a concussion and was ruled out of the game. He had scored just 1 off 7 balls before going out of the field. He was replaced by Usman Khan for this match, who was unable to make any significant impact in the game.

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Poor series for Imam-Ul-Haq

It wasn't a great series with the bat for Imam-Ul-Haq as he scored just 4 runs in the two matches he played. He didn't play the first match but played the second one in Hamilton, where he was dismissed by Jacob Duffy for just 3 off 12 deliveries.

Pakistan have been constantly looking for a solid opening pair ever since the injury to Fakhar Zaman during the Champions Trophy. Even Saim Ayub is currently injured and trying to work his way back through rehabilitation.

Usman Khan showed good signs in the first game when he slammed a quickfire 39 off 33 balls while opening the batting. However, he missed the second ODI due to a hamstring injury. He wasn't a part of the third ODI as well, but an injury to Imam helped him force his way back into the Playing XI.

Babar Azam scores, but Pakistan fall short

Imam was replaced by Babar Azam at the crease. Both Babar and the other opener, Abdullah Shafique, put on 73 runs for the first wicket, but their low strike rate put their team under pressure.

In an attempt to increase the run rate, Shafique was dismissed for 33 off 56 balls. Meanwhile, Babar Azam completed his half-century but was unable to carry on. He was dismissed for 50 off 58 balls by Daryl Mitchell.

Despite some contributions from the captain, Mohammad Rizwan, and Tayyab Tahir, Pakistan fell well short of the target. Rizwan scored 37 off 32 balls while Tahir struck 33 off 31 balls as Pakistan were bundled out for just 221 in 40 overs.

Also Read: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan thrown out of New Zealand tour, new Pakistan captain selected