Concerns over the treatment of former Pakistani cricket captain and ex-prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned in Pakistan, prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consider a boycott of the second Test match against England at Lord’s on Friday. The potential withdrawal came after Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, gave a televised interview alleging that the Pakistani government was “blatantly trying to kill” their father through harsh prison conditions.
The interview, conducted by broadcaster Mike Atherton and pre-recorded at Lord’s ahead of the Test, was initially delayed by Sky Sports following objections from the PCB. Despite this, the interview was aired during the interval on the second day of the match. The PCB reportedly threatened to instruct its players not to take the field for the afternoon session in protest, raising concerns about the continuity of the series. However, the Pakistan team ultimately resumed play after the lunch break, and no further formal complaints have been made regarding the broadcast.
Pakistan’s head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed stated after the second day’s play that neither he nor the players were informed of any boycott plans or the interview itself. “I don’t know anything, I’m just focusing on the match,” he said. Meanwhile, the PCB also considered raising the matter with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in response to the interview.
Imran Khan, 73, has been imprisoned in Pakistan for three years on corruption charges widely regarded by his supporters as politically motivated. During the interview, his sons expressed serious concerns about his deteriorating health and prison conditions. They alleged that Khan has lost 80 percent of vision in one eye and is confined to a “very small cell” with limited access to books and no air conditioning, despite high temperatures. He reportedly spends 23 hours a day in near-isolation.
Sulaiman Khan highlighted that his father’s blood pressure is rising due to the ongoing stress from solitary confinement. Kasim Khan accused Pakistani authorities of deliberately worsening his father’s situation without clear rationale, stating, “They are just blatantly trying to kill him in there” and seeking to prolong his detention while silencing him politically.
The interview drew global attention and renewed calls for Khan’s humane treatment, notably from a group of former international cricket captains who last week signed a joint letter led by former Australian captain Greg Chappell. The letter urged Pakistani authorities to ensure proper care for Khan during his incarceration.
Atherton noted that many of the former players who endorsed the letter had competed against Khan and hold him in high esteem. Khan’s sons described a stark decline in his conditions, linking the recent escalation to harsher treatment akin to that faced by other Pakistani political prisoners who have died in custody.
As of the close of the second day’s play at Lord’s, the Pakistani team continued competing, but the ongoing political and humanitarian concerns surrounding Imran Khan’s imprisonment remain a point of international scrutiny.