A group of 21 former international cricket captains, including India’s Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, have formally appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking humane treatment and adequate medical care for former Pakistan captain Imran Khan.
A statement released on Aug. 23, read, “ Six months ago, fourteen former international captains wrote to you and the Pakistani government appealing for humane treatment and proper medical care for Imran Khan.”
“We wrote then not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field – one that transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries. We write again now – joined by seven further former captains -because of what has reportedly just occurred.”
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The appeal followed reports that a court-mandated medical examination of Khan had been obstructed by the Pakistan government. The group outlined three key demands:
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Allow the medical board constituted under Supreme Court directions, including Khan’s personal doctors, to conduct a comprehensive and independent assessment of his health, particularly concerns over the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
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Ensure that the weekly family visits ordered by the court are restored and carried out without administrative hurdles or interruptions.
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Provide Khan with the treatment recommended by the medical assessment without delay, irrespective of its findings.
The rest of the appeal read as follows: “Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody. Whatever the legal and political arguments surrounding his case, the basic decency of ensuring a court-ordered medical process is actually completed is not, in our view, a controversial request.”
“It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair. We hope this matter can be resolved expeditiously and with the dignity Mr Imran Khan deserves.”
Former International Captains Who Have Co-Signed The Appeal
Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Sir Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Sir Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Nikhanj Deshamanya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sir Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh, John Wright.
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Imran Khan is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history and remains Pakistan’s only captain to have won the ICC Cricket World Cup, lifting the trophy in 1992.
He represented Pakistan from 1971 to 1992, playing 88 Tests and 175 ODIs, while scoring 3,807 Test runs and taking 362 wickets. As captain, he led Pakistan in 48 Tests and 139 ODIs, with his leadership tenure spanning a decade from 1982 to 1992.
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