The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged a formal complaint with broadcaster Sky after they aired an interview with legendary Pakistan captain Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Qasim.
The interview was conducted by ex-England captain and broadcaster Michael Atherton on behalf of Sky, and the full interview was aired on Day 1 of the 2nd Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s.
According to The Guardian, PCB did not like that the official broadcaster of the Test series aired an interview which was heavily critical of the existing Pakistan government, and they have lodged a formal complaint with the company.
Sky, although they have acknowledged the complaint, did not issue a formal response. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has also been made aware of the PCB’s grievances with the interview, although the ECB too are yet to come up with a response.
Pakistan threatened to not take the field at Lord’s after lunch on Day 1?
ESPNCricinfo further reported that PCB even threatened that their players won’t take the field post-lunch if the interview is aired. Sky later released an 18-minute clip, but by the time it was released, Pakistan players were on their way to the ground for the second session.
However, further reports have emerged from various quarters stating PCB did threaten that the players will protest by not taking the field if the interview was aired.
What did Imran Khan’s sons say to Sky?
In their interview with Atherton on Sky on Thursday, the two sons of the legendary World Cup-winning Pakistan captain shared their deep concerns about their father’s health, which has considerably deteriorated in the past couple of months while being in jail.
In a section of the interview, Qasim Khan told Atherton, “Right now, it’s crucial for us that he gets proper treatment. When we saw him, he had an eye patch on from the eye situation; he seemed visibly stressed and that is something that is very hard to imagine.
“Because he embodies a very calm and assured kind of presence. So to hear him stressed, anxious or disturbed is very difficult.”
Earlier this year, 14 former international captains wrote a letter to the Pakistan government expressing their concern over Imran Khan’s condition inside jail and prayed for better treatment of their ex-comrade.
Atherton was among the signatories alongside ex-India captains Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar and ex-Australia skippers Greg and Ian Chappell and Alan Border.
Why is Imran Khan in jail?
The 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan captain has been embroiled in legal battles since his ouster as the country’s Prime Minister in 2022.
Multiple alleged criminal charges were pressed against Khan and he was taken into custody in May 2023. Ever since then, Khan has spent more than three years in jail.
His condition deteriorated in January 2026 and reports emerged that Khan had only 15 per cent of vision in his right eye. Most recently, he underwent a medical check-up at a hospital in Islamabad. (The Cricket News)
