LONDON — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has filed a formal complaint with Sky Sports after the broadcaster aired an interview with the sons of former Pakistan prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan during the lunch interval on day one of the second Test at Lord’s.
A cricket website reports that the PCB considered not sending the team out to resume play after the break as a mark of protest.
The interview was conducted by former England captain and Sky Sports presenter Mike Atherton. In the 18-minute segment, Imran’s sons Suleiman and Kasim Khan spoke about their father’s health. Imran has been in prison for three years, and his sons said they were concerned for his wellbeing and feared for his life.
The PCB is understood to have contacted Sky ahead of lunch to object to the segment and warned that Pakistan’s players might not return to the field if it was broadcast. Sky delayed airing the interview during those discussions, but eventually ran it. By the time the clip finished, Pakistan’s players were already preparing to return for the second session at 2:40pm.
Atherton recorded the interview with Imran’s sons on Wednesday morning in the Writers’ Room at Lord’s. Sky had promoted the segment with a teaser in the build-up to the Test. In Pakistan, state broadcaster PTV, which holds the rights for the series, did not air the interview.
Imran Khan’s health has been under growing scrutiny. Last week, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered that he be admitted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. Instead, he was taken to the state-run PIMS for a check-up and returned to prison shortly after. His sisters and sons have called this a violation of the court order and have demanded he be allowed to see his personal doctor.
The issue has also drawn international cricketing attention. Last week, 21 former captains, including Atherton, wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urging that Imran receive proper medical care in prison. The signatories included former captains from India, Australia, England, West Indies and New Zealand. It followed a similar letter from 14 captains in February that did not receive a response from the government.
