Ex-cricket captains urge 'proper medical care' for Imran Khan

A group of former cricket captains, including Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and one of England's longest-serving skippers Sir Alastair Cook, have called on Pakistan to ensure its ex-PM Imran Khan be given proper care while in custody.

The cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since 2023 on corruption charges which he denies.

In a letter to Pakistan's current leader Shehbaz Sharif, the 21 former skippers aired concern that Khan, 73, was allowed "only a few hours" at a hospital last week where he was examined by a state-appointed team.

Khan's party has also filed a contempt petition against the government for not giving him access to his own doctors, as ordered by the top court.

The former cricket captains laid out three demands in their letter, the first of which is that Khan be assessed by a medical board directed by Pakistan's Supreme Court – which would include his personal physicians – particularly on the reported loss of vision in his right eye.

They also urged authorities to allow weekly visits by Khan's family, as ordered by the court, "without interruptions or administrative delays".

Finally, they asked that any treatment recommended by the medical board be "provided without delay".

"Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody," read the letter initiated by former Australian captain Greg Chappell.