“I was given poison, all my joints had gotten damaged” - Former Pakistan opener Imran Nazir makes shocking claim

Former Pakistan opener Imran Nazir has made a shocking claim that he was poisoned after which he suffered a lot as his joints had to be treated for eight to 10 years. The former cricketer claimed that he was given ‘Mercury’, which he termed as ‘slow poison’, adding that he even feared being bedridden.

Now 41, Nazir played eight Tests, 79 ODIs and 25 T20Is for Pakistan between 1999 and 2012. He was rated as a humongous talent at his peak, but his inconsistency hurt his progress as an international batter.

Speaking on the Nadir Ali podcast recently, Nazir made some rather sensational claims. On being ‘poisoned’, he said:

“When I recently got treated, including MRI and all, a statement was issued that I was given poison – Mercury. It is a slow poison; it reaches your joint and damages them. For 8-10 years, all my joints were treated. All my joints had gotten damaged and for this reason, I suffered for almost 6-7 years. But even then, I prayed to God, ‘Please don’t make me bedridden’. And thankfully, that never happened.”

“I used to walk around and all when people used to ask ‘You’re looking fine’. Nazir added, “I doubted a lot of people but when and what did I eat, I cannot figure out. Because the poison doesn’t react instantly. It kills you for years. I still never wished bad for whoever did this. The person saving is better than the one who wants to kill.”

Nazir last represented Pakistan in a T20I during the 2012 World Cup in Sri Lanka. He was dismissed for 20 as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 16 runs.

---

“I had nothing left when I met Shahid bhai” - Imran Nazir

During the interaction on the podcast, Nazir also revealed that former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi helped him out with finances after he ran out of money for further treatment.

Hailing Afridi for standing by him during tough times, Nazir opened up:

“I have spent my entire life’s saving on my treatment. In the end, there was a final treatment, in which Shahid Afridi helped me a lot. He helped me in my time of need. I had nothing left when I met Shahid bhai. Within a day, my doctor received the money in his account. He said ‘No matter how much money is needed, my brother should get well’.

“He spent around 40-50 lakh.” Nazir concluded, “I was happy that he had told his manager ‘Don’t even ask about him. Keep sending how much money he needs’. The credit even goes to my doctor that he never tried to cheat me. He stuck to the amount that was required.”

During his career, Nazir played 139 first-class matches, 166 List A games and 103 T20 encounters.