Cricket’s response to concerns surrounding Imran Khan’s detention has expanded further, with West Indies great Michael Holding publicly supporting calls over the former Pakistan Captain’s treatment while seven former Australia Captains have separately approached their government seeking action on humanitarian grounds.
The interventions add to earlier representations from former international captains and other prominent cricketers concerning Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023. The Australian group has explicitly separated its humanitarian appeal from the legal and political cases involving the former Pakistan Prime Minister.
Holding draws on personal connection with Imran
Holding’s involvement brings another major figure from Khan’s playing era into the growing cricket-led response. The pair encountered each other as players, while their relationship also extended beyond the field when Holding supported Khan’s efforts to raise money for a cancer hospital.
During a chat with Sports Now, Holding said: “I’ll mention one name, Imran Khan, but you probably don’t want to go down the political route, and I don’t want to either, but that’s a sad story. It has become one of the former Pakistan captain’s defining legacies. I played with Imran, I wouldn’t say I played a lot. I played some one-day games with him. I played county cricket, a few games against Imran, but apart from playing with Imran, I have spent time with Imran.”
The former West Indies fast bowler also accompanied Khan during fundraising activity in London. Holding recalled: “When Imran was going around London looking to garner funds for that cancer hospital, I went around with him, I tried to support him as best as I possibly could, where that was concerned. So I know the man, and I know exactly what type of person that he is. And it’s extremely sad to see the situation now and what is going on with Imran Khan.”
Holding has now aligned himself with former international captains who have previously written to the Pakistan government concerning Khan. He stated: “I am in total support of the captains who wrote that letter. I don’t know what effect it will have, but I am in total support of trying to get the man to be treated just like another human being. You don’t treat human beings that way. People who have committed murder aren’t treated that way. So I don’t see the reason why this man should be treated that way.”
His comments also touched on Khan’s international profile, although Holding made clear he did not know what factors were behind the situation. He added: “I don’t know if there’s jealousy involved in this, because Imran Khan. I don’t think there’s a Pakistani who is more well-known around the world than Imran Khan. That is ridiculous, the way the man is being treated.”
Australia Captains take concerns to government
A separate initiative has now brought together seven former Australia Captains — Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh — who have written to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. According to a report by Hindustan Times, which obtained a copy of the letter, the group wants the Australian government to raise its concerns directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities.
The former captains framed their intervention around Khan’s treatment in detention rather than the cases against him. In their letter, they wrote: “Greg Chappell last saw Imran Khan in Islamabad in 2022, when Khan was Prime Minister – hale, hearty and fit, by his account. It is hard to reconcile that image with the reports now coming out of his detention, and that is why we write to you today, not as diplomats or political actors, but as former Australian captains who felt we should speak up.”
Khan’s connection with Australian cricket also featured in their appeal. The seven former Captains stated: “Mr Khan led Pakistan to its only World Cup title. He also led his country as Prime Minister. Australians hold him in great regard — as a cricketer whose skill and leadership left a lasting mark on the game we share, and as someone who has helped improve the lives of Pakistanis by building cancer hospitals.”
Greg Chappell has also sought a meeting with Wong on behalf of the group. The former Australia Captain told Hindustan Times Digital on why the former captains had made another intervention: “We are concerned that he will die in jail.”
Letter focuses on humanitarian treatment
Concerns raised publicly by Khan’s sons and sisters are also cited in the Australian captains’ correspondence. The letter states: “Beyond credible reports, his own sons and sisters have been pleading publicly for months over his health and treatment in detention — limited medical care, restricted family contact, and minimal access to legal counsel among their concerns. We take no position on the legal or political case against him. That is Pakistan’s business. But the treatment of any person in detention is a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics.”
The approach follows two earlier collective interventions by former international captains. Fourteen former captains signed a letter in February, while a further appeal in August called for a medical assessment involving Khan’s own doctors, the implementation of weekly family visits and the provision of treatment recommended following that assessment.
The Australian group is now seeking government-to-government engagement. Its letter concludes: “This is not the first time international captains have raised this concern. It has been brought to public attention on two separate occasions in the past six months, and the reports since then — now echoed by his own family — suggest the situation has not improved. We would be grateful if the Australian Government could raise this directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities. Mr Chappell has also requested a meeting with you on this matter over recent weeks, and would welcome the chance to discuss it with you directly on our behalf. Thank you for taking the time to consider this.”
Akram adds to cricket’s response
Former Pakistan Captain Wasim Akram is among other prominent cricketers to have addressed Khan’s circumstances, focusing particularly on his health while distinguishing that issue from the legal process.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Akram said: “Imran Khan was my mentor. He’s my friend, I miss him a lot. I haven’t spoken to him for three years. “It’s so unfortunate, politically, what’s happening with him. The court of law is the court of law. But as far as his health is concerned, there can be no compromise on that.”
The latest Australian initiative follows appeals involving former captains from several countries, while current Australia Captain Pat Cummins and former Pakistan cricketers including Akram, Javed Miandad and Moin Khan have also spoken publicly on the issue. The immediate next step sought by the seven former Australia Captains is for Wong and the Australian government to raise their humanitarian concerns with the relevant authorities in Pakistan, with Chappell also seeking a meeting with the Foreign Minister on the group’s behalf.
