Former international cricket captains unite amid reports of Imran Khan's failing health in a Pakistan prison

PL reports on calls to help the highly respected former captain, Prime Minister and celebrated philanthropist

Over a dozen of cricket’s most respected international former Test captains have co-signed an open letter calling on the Pakistan government to provide medical treatment to and due process to former cricketer and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

There are serious concerns for the respected all-rounder who is suffering from failing health while in solitary confinement in a Rawalpindi jail, following a series of what appear to be politically motivated criminal charges since he was removed from office in 2022.

Michael Atherton (Eng), Allan Border (Aus), Michael Brearley (Eng), Greg and Ian Chappell (Aus), Belinda Clark (Aus) Kapil Dev (Ind), Sunil Gavaskar (Ind), David Gower (Eng), Kim Hughes (Aus), Nasser Husssein (Eng), Clive Lloyd (WI), Steve Waugh (Aus) and John Wright (NZ) have all signed the letter released on Tuesday.

The 73-year-old Khan, who is facing an effective life sentence, was reportedly transferred to a local hospital earlier this week as pressure on authorities increased, but he has not been seen in public since his arrest in 2022.

Khan’s legal team claim an untreated eye infection had caused him to lose 85% of sight in his right eye.

Khan’s wife Bishra Bibi, is also serving a series of lengthy sentences, having been convicted alongside her husband.

The cricket captains’ open letter called on the Pakistan government to provide humanitarian care to the respected former captain, along with a fair and transparent legal process.

“Recent reports concerning his health—particularly the alarming deterioration of his vision while in custody—and the conditions of his imprisonment over the past two and a half years have caused us profound concern,” the captains wrote. “As fellow cricketers who understand the values of fair play, honour, and respect that transcend the boundary rope, we believe that a person of Imran Khan’s stature deserves to be treated with the dignity and basic human consideration befitting a former national leader and a global sporting icon.