The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has advised its players not to comment publicly on the imprisonment of former captain and 1992 World Cup-winning skipper Imran Khan. The board is wary of British media pushing extra questions about the topic, even as Pakistan continues to struggle on the field.
The issue came into focus after Sky Sports aired an interview with Imran’s sons, Kassim and Suleman, hosted by Mike Atherton, during the lunch interval on the second day of the second Test at Lord’s. The PCB reportedly protested the airing of the interview and threatened that the players would not take the field during the match.
Sky delayed the airing initially but went ahead with it, prompting the Mohsin Naqvi-led board to lodge a complaint. Pakistan head coach
Sarfaraz Ahmed was subsequently asked whether the players had watched the interview.
“No we don’t know anything about it, we were having lunch,” Sarfaraz said at a press conference.
He rejected the reports that the PCB had threatened the boycott of the match.
A PCB source told PTI the board was unhappy with the Sky Sports interview because it considered the subject political. However, the board chose not to escalate the matter, taking into account Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with the UK and a reception for the team hosted by Prince Charles on September 2.
The PCB’s decision comes amid increasing international attention on Imran’s continued imprisonment and reported health concerns. Last week, 21 former international cricket captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif seeking ‘medical treatment and welfare’ for Imran.
The former Pakistan prime minister has been imprisoned since 2023 over convictions related to corruption, leaking state secrets and an unlawful marriage. Khan and his party claim the cases are politically motivated. He was recently taken to a government hospital for court-ordered medical checks, declared fit and returned to jail, prompting his party to file a contempt petition.
