Imam-ul-Haq, a last-minute replacement in Yorkshire’s squad, signed off from the group stage of the One Day Cup with yet another fifty.
Imam notched up another fluent innings, making 70 off 73 balls against Kent at The Spitfire Ground on Tuesday (August 26). Opening the innings alongside Adam Lyth, the Pakistan batter hit eight fours and scored at a strike rate of 95.89, helping his team post 301-9. James Wharton struck a quickfire 118, but no other player crossed 40, as Yorkshire look to finish on top of the table.
Imam finished the league stage with 583 runs at an average of 97.16, including three centuries and three fifties from seven innings.
Drafted in as a last-minute replacement for India’s Ruturaj Gaikwad, Imam became the cornerstone of Yorkshire’s batting unit almost instantly. He began his campaign with a knock of 55 before striking his List A career-best 159 against Warwickshire, and then followed it up with a match-winning 117 against Lancashire. Scores of 54* and 22 came next, before his third hundred in the competition - 106 in 108 against Sussex. He ended the first round of the competition with yet another fifty-plus score.
Imam was signed for five County Championship games and eight One-Day Cup matches initially, but will likely remain with Yorkshire for the knockouts, given that Yorkshire are currently at the top of Group B, with six wins from seven games and 24 points.
The left-hander’s performances come at a time when Pakistan are struggling to register victories in the 50-over format. They recently lost an ODI series against the West Indies for the first time in 34 years, and have won just two of 11 matches this year. Imam last played an ODI against New Zealand in April, but was not selected for the West Indies tour. He has 3,152 runs in 75 matches in the format, at an average of 47.04.
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