Pakistan threatens to boycott Lord’s Test over interview with Imran Khan’s sons

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged a formal complaint with Sky Sports and is considering pulling its team from the field. during the second Test against England at Lord’saccording to Cricinfo. The row erupted on the first day after Sky Sports aired a pre-recorded interview conducted by former England captain Mike Atherton with Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, the sons of jailed former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan. | Lord’s Test Scorecard |

In the segment, which was shot on location on Wednesday, Imran Khan’s sons expressed serious concerns about their father’s health and deteriorating eyesight.

The PCB objected to the inclusion of political themes in the live telecast of the matches and reportedly warned that it could keep its players in the dressing room for the afternoon session if the show was telecast.

Sky shelved the segment before it aired during the lunch break. The PCB subsequently lodged an official complaint, but eventually backed off its threat and Pakistan returned to the field for the afternoon session. According to British media, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been informed of the complaint. The interview was not telecast by Pakistan’s broadcaster of the Test series, reports said.

Pakistan threatened to boycott the Lord’s Test after Sky Sports broadcast an interview with Imran Khan’s two sons that was actually recorded in Lord’s Long Room the day before the Test. The PCB wanted SKY not to broadcast the interview during the lunch break or they would not accept it pic.twitter.com/Z6CGuC6I75— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) August 27, 2026

Imran Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023 after being arrested in connection with corruption cases. He has since been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison in one of the cases. Imran Khan has denied wrongdoing and claimed that the cases against him are politically motivated. He is held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and has spent more than three years behind bars.

Concerns over Imran Khan’s treatment they also drew support from former international captains. The 21 former captains, including Indian greats Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and former England captain Mike Atherton, again appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give Khan humane treatment and proper medical care. They asked that a court-ordered independent medical assessment, weekly family visits and any necessary treatment be provided immediately.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a much better first day at Lord’s for Pakistan. Pakistan won the toss and opted to field, with Babar Azam returning to the playing XI after missing the opening match due to injury. Mohammad Abbas took 4 for 56 and Mohammad Ali 3 for 67 as England were reduced to 248 for 9 in 56 overs before bad light ended play. Jordan Cox made 55 and Jamie Smith 61 to rescue England after they slumped to 80 for four.

Pakistan needed a response at Lord’s after England dominated the series opener at Headingley, winning by an innings and 103 runs.

ANOTHER DIPLOMATIC FAILURE

The latest episode also echoes the threat to boycott Pakistan during the 2025 Asia Cup. After The players of India and Pakistan did not exchange the customary handshake during their match in Dubai, the PCB demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft, accusing him of failing to prevent the incident. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was also the president of the Asian Cricket Council, escalated the dispute and Pakistan threatened to boycott its next match against the UAE if Pycroft remained in charge.

Pakistan finally took the field against the UAE, but only after postponing their arrival at the stadium and moving the start of the match by an hour. Pycroft remained the match referee after the ICC rejected the PCB’s request to remove him. He later apologized to Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and the team manager, but the ICC clarified that the apology was for miscommunication and not the handshake incident. Naqvi subsequently acknowledged that a boycott had been considered, but Pakistan eventually played the match.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

28 Aug 2026 03:02 IST