He has slammed as many as five centuries in a period of 29 days.
Imagine going to England after being signed as a replacement. And then sitting on a pile of runs! Eat sleep, score runs, repeat – seems to be the mantra for Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq currently. The 29-year-old has hit his purple patch and is doing absolutely nothing other than scoring runs. After scoring four hundreds for Yorkshire, Imam has now piled up a blazing triple-hundred in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy in Pakistan. Like just hundreds weren’t enough!
The Pakistan opener has slammed four centuries in eight matches on English soil, playing for Yorkshire Cricket Club. Four centuries in a span of 26 days is a feat many batters hold dear in their imagination. He started off on a positive note, scoring a promising 55 against Warwickshire. And that was all he needed to get going in the tournament. He smashed 159 and 117 in the next two matches against Northamptonshire and Lancashire respectively, the former being his best List A score.
Soon enough, he couple it up with another set of tons against Sussex and Hampshire. His ton against Hampshire came in the semi-final of the One-Day Cup. In the end of the group stage, Imam has piled up 583 runs in just seven innings at a staggering average of 97.16. He currently is the highest run-scorer of the tournament with a massive 688 runs in just eight innings. The semi-final was his last game for Yorkshire in the league this season.
In an interesting news, the Pakistani opener was recalled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, which was about to commence from August 29. The selectors recalled him with an eye on red-ball cricket, which is a promising sign for Imam. Reportedly, he was asked by the selectors to prove his form in the domestic league in Pakistan. The competition will see 12 regional teams compete for two spots, which are up for promotion.
As a result, Imam came back to Pakistan. The conditions changed, geography changed and everything around changed. But his form did not. This time, in fact, it tripled. The Pakistan opener went on to pile up a triple century to give a stunning answer to the PCB and selectors. Additionally, his triple century came at a strike-rate of 112, which speaks of his dominance over the bowlers.
Pakistan are scheduled to start their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign against South Africa in October. This series will be important for the Shaheens in order to start the Championship on a positive note. However, the onus for the opening spot will now lie with Imam-ul-Haq, with performances like these. There will be no doubts in the minds of the selectors than to hand a berth to the blazing, in-form opener.
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There is absolutely no doubt that he has got what it takes to thrive at the highest level. He last played a Test match for Pakistan in 2023, which was in Melbourne against Australia. He could not inflict a lot of damage in the match and was soon dropped from the side. In 24 Tests matches, he has scored over 1500 runs with three hundreds and nine fifties to his name.
Pakistan actually have a very good chance to go all the way and make it to the Final of this World Test Championship cycle. Their schedules are relatively easy and they can go far with the kind of skill they have got. The only hurdle for them is to be able to execute those skills to the best of their abilities. Imam-ul-Haq’s form at the top of the order should be something which helps them in the long-run.
The left-handed opener has got a very robust technique, which is predominantly suited for Test cricket. Imam has a tendency to play the ball late, and watch it under his eyes while making contact. This is one of the qualities which is extremely rare for a batter these days, but is essential in the Test format. It helps the batter judge the trajectory of the ball better, and also gives one a bit more time to react.
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