Imam-ul-Haq Wants the Captaincy. Pakistan Have No Answer.
Imam-ul-Haq said he would consider the Pakistan captaincy if offered. He said it at the National Cricket Academy’s Red-Ball Camp in Lahore, the same camp where Pakistan are preparing for a West Indies tour without a confirmed permanent Test head coach and with their captain’s position under quiet scrutiny.
“Captaining Pakistan in any format is a great opportunity and a dream for every player,” Imam said. “I’ve been leading teams in domestic cricket for the last two to three years. If such an opportunity comes my way, I will definitely consider it.”
That is not a demand. It is a 29-year-old opener with 27 Tests, 75 ODIs and two T20Is since his 2017 debut, making clear he is available if Pakistan need him. Whether Pakistan need him depends on questions the board has not answered.
Why Imam’s Comment Lands Now
Pakistan’s Test leadership picture is not settled. Shan Masood led the side through a home whitewash by Bangladesh in early 2026 and a first Test defeat in Dhaka before that, a result that also cost Pakistan eight World Test Championship points for a slow over-rate, docked under Article 16.11.2 of the WTC playing conditions after being ruled eight overs short of the target.
Sarfaraz Ahmed served as interim Test head coach for the Bangladesh series, but PCB has issued no media release confirming his role beyond that assignment.
Imam is not commenting into a vacuum. He is commenting into one that already exists in Pakistan’s Test setup, and his timing suggests he knows it.
Article 16.11.2 means a team loses one WTC point for every over they are slow. Because time allowances (like injuries or DRS) are already calculated before the penalty drops, being 8 overs short results in a direct, automatic 8-point deduction from the championship standings.
Imam’s Case, on the Numbers
Imam has captained domestic sides in Pakistan for two to three years. His international record across formats is established rather than emerging: 27 Tests, 75 ODIs, two T20Is.
He is a left-handed opener, a position Pakistan has searched to stabilise since Abdullah Shafique’s inconsistent run and the broader batting fragility that has defined recent series.
He also addressed PCB’s new format-specific central contract system directly, and his answer matters beyond the captaincy question.
“I don’t prioritise any one format. I want to perform for Pakistan in all three formats, and each of them is equally important to me.”
PCB’s new tracks separate players into Test-only, ODI-and-T20I, and dual-format categories. Imam positioning himself as a three-format player, while also putting himself forward for the captaincy is a specific bet: that Pakistan’s next leadership appointment values format range over specialisation.
The WTC Table Explains Why This Matters
Pakistan sit ninth in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
| Rank | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 8 | 7 | 1 | 84 | 87.50 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 4 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 58.33 |
| 5 | India | 9 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 48.15 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 44.44 |
| 7 | England | 13 | 4 | 8 | 38 | 24.36 |
| 8 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 14.81 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8.33 |
Pakistan have played four Tests in this cycle. They won one and lost three. Their points total of four reflects a deduction that made a difficult campaign worse. The eight-point penalty came after the ICC found Pakistan eight overs short of the required over-rate in the first Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Under ICC Code of Conduct Article 2.22, that also cost the squad 40 percent of their match fees. Shan Masood accepted the sanction without a formal hearing.
Four points from four matches puts Pakistan above only West Indies. Every remaining match in this cycle, including the upcoming West Indies and England tours, now carries outsized weight for a side with almost no margin left.
What Pakistan Actually Needs to Decide
Three separate questions sit unresolved heading into the West Indies series, and Imam’s comment touches all of them without answering any.
Is Shan Masood still the right Test captain after the Bangladesh whitewash and the over-rate penalty. Is Sarfaraz Ahmed’s interim coaching role becoming permanent, or was it a single-series arrangement.
And does Pakistan’s new format-specific contract system mean the next captain should be a format specialist, or a multi-format player like Imam who has deliberately avoided specialising.
Imam’s comments do not resolve the leadership question. They confirm that at least one senior player is willing to take it on if PCB decides a change is needed.
Given where Pakistan sit in the WTC table, that decision is no longer a hypothetical for the medium term. It is a live selection question with a deadline attached to every match Pakistan now plays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Imam-ul-Haq said he wants to captain Pakistan? Imam-ul-Haq said he would seriously consider the Pakistan captaincy if offered, describing it as a dream for any player. He made the comments at the NCA Red-Ball Camp in Lahore, citing two to three years of domestic captaincy experience.
Why did Pakistan lose eight points in the World Test Championship? Pakistan were docked eight WTC points after being found eight overs short of the required over-rate in the first Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka in May 2026. Under WTC playing conditions Article 16.11.2, a team loses one point per over short. Pakistan were also fined 40 percent of their match fees under ICC Code of Conduct Article 2.22.
Is Shan Masood still Pakistan’s Test captain? Shan Masood remained Pakistan’s Test captain through the 2026 Bangladesh series, which included a first Test defeat in Dhaka and the resulting over-rate penalty. PCB has not announced any change to the Test captaincy ahead of the West Indies tour.
Where does Pakistan rank in the WTC standings 2025-27? Pakistan rank ninth in the 2025-27 World Test Championship standings with four points from four matches, a percentage of 8.33, ahead of only West Indies.
