Imam-ul-Haq

Imam-ul-Haq (; born 22 December 1995) is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for the Pakistan National Cricket Team. In his first One Day International (ODI), against Sri Lanka, he became the second batter for Pakistan, and thirteenth overall, to score a century on debut. In August 2018, he was one of 33 players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Domestic career

In the final of the 2016–17 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he scored 200 not out batting for Habib Bank Limited. In the final of 2017–18 National T20 Cup, he scored 59 not out batting for Lahore Blues, and was named man of the match.

In July 2022, he was signed by Somerset to play in their final four matches of the County Championship in England.

Imam-ul-Haq has had a notable domestic cricket career in addition to his international achievements.

In the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Imam-ul-Haq has been a valuable asset to his franchise. His consistent performances and impactful contributions have made him a key player in the league. His batting prowess and ability to anchor innings have not only brought success to his team but have also earned him recognition among PSL enthusiasts.

Apart from his PSL endeavors, Imam-ul-Haq has showcased his skills in various domestic competitions, further solidifying his reputation as a reliable and skilled cricketer.

International career

In October 2017, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad for their series against Sri Lanka. On his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on 18 October 2017, he scored an ODI century and was named man of the match. He became the second Pakistan batter after Saleem Elahi to score an ODI hundred on debut.

In April 2018, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their tours to Ireland and England in May 2018. He made his Test debut against Ireland, on 11 May 2018. He scored a half century in the final innings of the match which was instrumental in the team's win.

On 20 July 2018, in the fourth ODI against Zimbabwe, he and Fakhar Zaman made the highest opening partnership in ODIs, with 304 runs. Pakistan finished their innings at 399 for the loss of one wicket, their highest score in ODIs. Zaman and Imam had scored 705 runs together across the series, the most by a pair in a bilateral ODI series.

In January 2019, during the third ODI against South Africa, Imam became the second fastest batter to score 1,000 runs in ODIs, doing so in his 19th innings.

In April 2019, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Pakistan against England on 5 May 2019. Ahead of the Cricket World Cup, in the ODI series against England, Imam scored 151 runs in the third ODI match. This was the highest individual total for a Pakistan batter against England in a One Day International.

In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England. In July 2021, in the third match against England, he scored his 2,000th run in ODI cricket.

In March 2022, in the opening match of the series against Australia, Imam scored his first century in Test cricket. In the second innings, he scored another century, becoming the tenth batter for Pakistan to score a century in both innings of a Test.

On 22 August 2023, in the opening match of the 3 ODI series vs Afghanistan, Imam played a crucial inning of 61 Runs where all batting line of Pakistan collapsed at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan won the match by 142 runs and Imam finished the game as the leading run scorer.

Imam was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup and he ended up the tournament proceedings with 162 runs in six matches. In February 2025, he was approved as a late minute addition to Pakistan's squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy as he was added as an injury replacement to Fakhar Zaman, as the latter was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after having played just the opening match of the high-profile tournament. During Pakistan's highly anticipated group stage match against arch-rivals India, his comical runout stirred meme materials across social media platforms and his nature of runout drew wide comparisons with his uncle Inzamam-Ul-haq's spate of run outs during his playing career. He was runout albeit which came off as a bullet throw resulting in a direct hit even before Imam had breached the crease to complete the run and it marked the sixth such instance where Imam had run himself out since his debut in the format.

On 5 April 2025, Imam copped a heavy blow on his face in a freak accident in the middle of the pitch during the third and final ODI match between Pakistan and New Zealand. He was desperately running towards the danger end to cross the crease to complete a quick single to protect his wicket, but quite unexpectedly he was injured when a ball was thrown to the keeper's end in a pickup throw by a New Zealand fieldsman but it hit his helmet grill. He was stretchered straightaway after complaining about the feeling of discomfort and rushed to the hospital from the pitch and he was subsequently replaced by Usman Khan as a concussion substitute who was approved during the run chase of 263 to win in a rain-curtailed fixture.

Personal life

He was born in Multan, Punjab, on 22 December 1995 to a Syed Haryanvi Muslim family. His family had moved from the city of Hansi in  Punjab Province, British India (now in Haryana, India) during the Partition of India. He is the nephew of former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.

In November 25th 2023, Imam ul Haq tied the knot with ''Anmol Mehmood'' in Lahore. His wife Anmol is a resident of Norway and a doctor by profession.https://www.india.com/photos/sports/meet-anmol-mehmood-wife-of-star-pakistan-batter-she-works-as-a-moved-to-norway-for-imam-ul-haq-426419/navigating-a-long-distance-relationship-426423/

Tv Show

During T20 world cup 2024, Imam signed as one of expert panelist member (Ahmed Shehzad, Imran Nazir) in Geo News show Harna Mna Hy hosted by Tabish Hashmi.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Imam-ul-Haq
1995 births
Living people
Pakistani cricketers
Pakistan Test cricketers
Pakistan One Day International cricketers
Pakistan Twenty20 International cricketers
21st-century Pakistani sportsmen
Baluchistan cricketers
Habib Bank Limited cricketers
Islamabad cricketers
Lahore Blues cricketers
Cricketers from Multan
Peshawar Zalmi cricketers
Somerset cricketers
Cricketers who made a century on One Day International debut
Cricketers at the 2019 Cricket World Cup
Pakistani people of Haryanvi descent
Cricketers from Lahore
Pakistani expatriate cricketers in England