A group of cricket legends has urged Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure humane treatment and adequate medical care for imprisoned former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan, according to a letter viewed by Al Jazeera.
Twenty‑one former international captains have called on Sharif’s administration to permit an independent health evaluation for Khan, restore his weekly family visits, and deliver any necessary medical treatment promptly, four of the signatories told Al Jazeera on Sunday.
Khan, aged 73, has been behind bars for three years facing various charges.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court directed authorities to move Khan from Adiala Jail to the private Shifa International Hospital by Thursday midnight. Yet on Saturday, his party, Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI), filed a contempt petition after he was transferred to a government‑run hospital instead, according to party officials.
Khan is widely considered one of the finest all‑rounders in cricket history and arguably Pakistan’s greatest player, having captained the side to its inaugural World Cup triumph in 1992 and holding the record for the most international victories by a Pakistani skipper.
Former rivals turned allies said the recent developments motivated them to write to Sharif, who succeeded the PTI founder as prime minister in April 2022 and again after the February 2024 general election.
The letter, dated August 23, follows a similar initiative in February when 14 former international captains expressed worries about Khan’s declining health and alleged mistreatment while incarcerated.
“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,” said the letter.
“We write again now — joined by seven further former captains — because of what has reportedly just occurred,” read the letter, whose signatories include cricket Hall of Famers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, John Wright and David Gower.
No Pakistani names among signatories
Greg Chappell, who developed a friendly rapport with Khan after their cricket careers, initiated the letter on both occasions.
Lloyd informed Al Jazeera on Sunday that he had signed the letter, and former England captains David Gower, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton also confirmed their participation.
Notably, none of the signatories are former Pakistani cricketers, even though several prominent players have previously expressed worries about Khan’s health.
Among the 21 signatories are three Indian players — Gavaskar, Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar — while the sole South Asian representative besides them is former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
Former Australian women’s captains Alex Blackwell and Belinda Clark are also included.
The letter praised the “welcome steps” of the Supreme Court ordering Khan’s transfer to a private hospital for medical examination by a board that included personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan.
The signatories urged the government to:
- Allow the Supreme Court‑directed medical board — which includes Khan’s personal physicians — to conduct a full, independent health evaluation, with special attention to the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
- Honour the court‑ordered weekly family visits without any interruption or bureaucratic delay.
- Provide any treatment recommended by the medical board promptly, regardless of the assessment’s outcome.
The former cricketers lamented the brevity of Khan’s hospital visit, echoing his family’s concerns that a brief examination by a state‑appointed team and his rapid discharge after being declared “medically fit” did not meet the Supreme Court’s directive.
“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,” the letter said.
“It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair.”
The Pakistani government did not reply to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
Below is the full list of signatories: Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, Deshamanya Arjuna Ranatunga, Sir Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh, John Wright.
Chappell praises Khan’s charisma and power
Following the initial appeal to Pakistan’s government in February, Greg Chappell discussed his bond with Khan and explained what motivated him to lead the letter.
He said the letter aimed to spotlight a human rights concern rather than serve as a political move, and he expressed pleasant surprise at how swiftly it came together, given that all parties shared the same objective.
“This seems to have had some real impact,” Chappell said as he emphasised the need for the first letter to have “long-lasting impact” rather than fizzle out in the next news cycle.
The former Australian skipper praised Khan’s charisma, both on the cricket field and in his later political career.
“People were threatened by someone like Imran because of his aura, personal power and charm,” he told the Cricket Et Al podcast in February.
“They were threatened by him and obviously that’s played its part in this.”
