Pakistan’s ODI campaign against New Zealand took a concerning turn on Friday as opener Imam-ul-Haq sustained a freak facial injury during the third One Day International at Mount Maunganui. The 29-year-old was struck on the jaw by a throw from a New Zealand fielder during the early overs of Pakistan’s chase and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

Ball pierces helmet, hits jaw

The incident occurred in the third over of the second innings while Imam attempted a quick single. A New Zealand fielder threw the ball toward the striker’s end, but the throw entered through the gap in Imam’s helmet grill, hitting him directly on the jaw. The left-handed batter immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching his face in visible pain.

Pakistan’s medical team rushed to the field and provided on-spot assistance before Imam was taken off in a buggy ambulance. He was declared retired hurt, and Babar Azam came in to continue the innings.

Pakistan chase 265 in final ODI

The match itself holds little consequence in terms of series outcome, as New Zealand had already sealed the three-match ODI series with victories in the first two games. In the rain-reduced contest—shortened to 42 overs per side—New Zealand posted 264/8, with captain Michael Bracewell scoring 59 off 40 and opener Rhys Mariu contributing 58 off 61 balls.

Pakistan were set a target of 265 to avoid a clean sweep but faced early setbacks, including the injury to Imam.

Chasing 265, Pakistan has lost five wickets and scored just 169 in 32.5 overs. Pakistan has needed 96 runs in 56 balls. Tayyab Tahir and Faheem Ashraf are on the crease.

Disappointing tour for Pakistan

Pakistan’s white-ball tour of New Zealand has been marred by underperformance. They began the tour with a five-match T20I series in early March but managed just one win in Auckland. After defeats in Christchurch and Dunedin, the visitors bounced back with a nine-wicket win in the third T20I. However, they were comprehensively beaten in the final two matches—by 115 runs in Mount Maunganui and by eight wickets in Wellington—handing New Zealand a dominant 4-1 T20 series win.

In the aftermath of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sudden move from Mumbai to Goa for the upcoming domestic season, speculations of an internal revolt within the Mumbai cricket camp sparked widespread buzz. Some reports suggested that senior batter Suryakumar Yadav could also be at the center of this unrest, allegedly leading a “coup” within the team setup. However, Suryakumar has firmly dismissed the claims, mocking the reports with a sarcastic social media post.

Jaiswal’s surprise switch to Goa

The buzz began after Jaiswal officially communicated his intention to shift to Goa from Mumbai, a state team where he nurtured his talent and eventually carved his path into the national side. His request was approved by the Mumbai Cricket Association on Tuesday. This made Jaiswal the third player in recent years to shift from Mumbai to Goa, following Arjun Tendulkar and Siddhesh Lad, who made similar moves before the 2022-23 domestic season.

Jaiswal’s final outing for Mumbai was during their Ranji Trophy Group A clash against Jammu and Kashmir from January 23 to 25, where he featured alongside India skipper Rohit Sharma. Unfortunately, both star batters failed to make an impact, and Mumbai suffered a rare defeat against J&K for only the second time in the tournament’s history.

Suryakumar’s sharp reaction

What followed Jaiswal’s transfer was a report that hinted at deeper unrest within the Mumbai camp, even suggesting that Suryakumar Yadav might be encouraging more players to consider exits. Reacting to this, Suryakumar took to social media platform X to post a screenshot of the story and wrote, “Script writer hai ya journalist? Agar hasna hai toh I will stop watching comedy movies and start reading these articles. Ekdum bakwas.”

The senior batter’s satirical tone clearly indicated his disapproval of the narrative, terming the claims baseless and absurd.

Jaiswal’s journey from Bhadohi to the national spotlight

Jaiswal’s cricketing journey has been far from easy. Hailing from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, he moved to Mumbai at the age of 12 with big dreams. Struggling with financial hardships, he spent nights in tents before being mentored by coach Jwala Singh, who played a pivotal role in shaping his game. His rise through Mumbai cricket’s competitive ranks was swift, eventually earning him a place in the Indian team.

New Zealand registered a convincing 84-run victory over Pakistan in the second ODI in Hamilton on Wednesday, sealing the three-match series 2-0. With the final match set to take place in Mount Maunganui on Saturday, the Kiwis will now aim for a clean sweep.

Pacer Ben Sears was the standout performer, claiming a remarkable five-wicket haul (5/59) in just his third ODI. After going wicketless in his previous two appearances, Sears turned the tide with his fierce bowling, dismantling Pakistan’s middle and lower order.

Chasing 293, Pakistan’s innings fell apart early. Will O’Rourke removed Abdullah Shafique for 1, followed by Jacob Duffy dismissing Babar Azam (1) and Imam-ul-Haq, leaving Pakistan at 9/3 within six overs. Salman Agha (9) also failed to settle, and captain Mohammad Rizwan struggled before departing for 5 off 27 balls.

Tayyab Tahir (13), Mohammad Wasim (1), and Akif Javed were unable to revive the innings. A late 60-run partnership between Faheem Ashraf (73 off 80) and Naseem Shah (51 off 44) offered brief resistance, but the damage had already been done. Pakistan were eventually bowled out, with Duffy finishing with figures of 3/35. O’Rourke and Nathan Smith took one wicket each.

Earlier, New Zealand posted a total of 292/8 after being sent in to bat. Openers Rhys Mariu (18) and Nick Kelly (31) got off to a brisk start. Despite a middle-order wobble that saw the side slump to 132/5, a 77-run stand between Muhammad Abbas (41) and Mitchell Hay stabilized the innings.

Hay played a crucial innings, narrowly missing out on a century with an unbeaten 99 off 78 deliveries, including seven fours and seven sixes. His knock proved vital in pushing New Zealand past the 290-mark and earned him the Player of the Match award.

For Pakistan, Sufiyan Muqeem (2/33) and Mohammad Wasim (2/78) were the notable performers with the ball.

Having already secured the series, New Zealand now have the chance to sweep Pakistan 3-0 in the final ODI this weekend.