The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a formal complaint with Sky Sports and threatened to pull the national team off the field during the first day of the Lords Test, following an interview broadcast with the sons of former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the interview sparked intense anger among Pakistani authorities and players. The Babar Azam-led team reportedly threatened to refuse to return to the pitch after the lunch break.
The controversy arose after Sky Sports journalist Michael Atherton interviewed Qasim and Suleiman Khan, the sons of Imran Khan. During the broadcast, they expressed deep concern over the Pakistani government’s treatment of their father, alleging that authorities want to keep him silenced in prison and claiming that “attempts are being made to kill him.” Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been imprisoned for the past three years.
PCB officials were furious that Sky Sports invited Khan’s sons onto the program and provided them a platform, having reportedly attempted to block the broadcast beforehand. Notably, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi also serves as Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Interior.
Rain had already delayed the lunch break at Lords when PCB officials used the situation to pressure broadcasters, threatening to keep Pakistani players off the field. However, officials from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) successfully intervened through negotiations, allowing the match to resume.
Despite the resumption of play, The Guardian reported that Pakistani authorities remain deeply dissatisfied and have reportedly raised the issue with the British government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Nevertheless, the PCB has assured ECB officials that the Pakistani team will take part in the second day of the Lords Test.
During their interview, Qasim Khan stated that it remains unclear what is currently happening to his father behind bars, but emphasized that the objective is to keep him imprisoned indefinitely to silence him.
The 73-year-old former premier was temporarily transferred to a government hospital for medical treatment last week following a Supreme Court ruling, but was sent back to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi just hours later.
Imran Khan’s imprisonment and deteriorating health have drawn international concern. A total of 21 former international cricketers—including six former England captains, India’s Kapil Dev, and Australia’s Adam Gilchrist and Greg Chappell have signed joint letters demanding proper medical facilities for the former cricket star.
Earlier this week, the former players released another appeal specifically calling for an independent and thorough medical examination of Khan’s right eye. According to his legal team, prison conditions have caused him to lose 85 percent of the vision in his right eye.
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