Imam-ul-Haq Suffers Brutal Head Blow in 3rd ODI, Rushed to Hospital

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq had to be taken to the hospital after he was hit in the face during the third ODI against New Zealand. The incident happened early in Pakistan’s innings on Saturday, April 5. In the third over of the chase, a throw from short cover went through his helmet and struck him on the face, forcing him to leave the field immediately.

Imam felt a sharp pain and fell to the ground as soon as the ball hit him. The team’s physio quickly came to check on him, and he had to be taken off the field on a medical cart. He was tested for a concussion and later replaced by Usman Khan during the match. The broadcaster later shared that Imam was taken to the hospital because of the injury. At the time he got hurt, he had scored just 1 run from 7 balls.

𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗨𝗻𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥:
Throw from the Fielder got stuck in the Helmet of Imam, injuring his jaw. Prayers for him.#Imamulhaq #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/60UhxClj9M

— Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) April 5, 2025

Pakistan End Tour on a Low as New Zealand Clinch ODI Series 3-0

Pakistan's hopes of making a comeback in the third and final ODI were crushed as they lost by 43 runs at Bay Oval. In a rain-affected match at Mount Maunganui, Pakistan couldn't chase down the target of 265 runs set by the home team, ending the series on a disappointing note.

Pakistan fell short in the final match of the series on Saturday, getting all out for 221 while chasing a target of 265. Babar Azam was the top scorer with a solid 50 off 58 balls. Mohammad Rizwan added 37 from 32 balls, and Tayyab Tahir chipped in with 33 off 31. Despite their efforts, the team couldn’t cross the finish line and lost the match.

Pakistan had a tough time on this tour, and their loss in the final ODI summed it up. They managed to win just one match in the entire white-ball series. Before the ODI games, they were badly beaten in the T20Is, losing the series 4-1.

Pakistan came into this game having already lost the 3-match ODI series. They had been beaten in the first two matches, played in Napier and Hamilton. Led by Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistan team was outplayed in both games by the side captained by Michael Bracewell. In the first ODI, Mark Chapman played a brilliant innings, scoring a century that helped the home team defeat Pakistan by 73 runs.

In the second match, Michael Hay and Ben Sears played brilliantly together to help their team beat Pakistan by a big margin of 80 runs. Pakistan was chasing a target of 293 runs but fell short.

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