‘Must be a joke’: Pakistan-born cricketer hits out at PCB amid Imran Khan row

Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after it complained to a British broadcaster for interviewing the sons of former Pakistan Prime Minister and World Cup captain Imran Khan.Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad, was reacting after reports claimed that the Pakistan team had threatened to boycott the second Test against England if the television station aired an interview with Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim.The interview was eventually broadcast, albeit later than originally planned, and Pakistan returned to the field.The PCB filed a complaint against Sky Sports over the broadcast. Responding to a social media post about the complaint, Khawaja wrote: “This must be a joke”.Imran Khan, 73, has been in jail in Rawalpindi since 2023 after being convicted on corruption charges. He underwent a medical in Islamabad earlier this week before being taken back to prison.His sons expressed concern for his safety and claimed that attempts were being made on his life.Khawaja’s former Australian teammate Pat Cummins also spoke about the issue and said Imran’s family should be allowed access to him.Cummins supported former Australian captain Greg Chappell and 20 other former international captains who recently appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper medical care and humane treatment for Imran.Cummins said he hopes the court-ordered medical evaluation is complete and family visits will continue. In a post on X, he also called for Imran to be treated with dignity and shared a video of Chappell expressing concern over the former Pakistan captain’s health.Cummins became one of the first active international cricketers to publicly support calls for Imran’s medical after 21 former captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar, signed a letter to Pakistan’s prime minister.Before entering politics, Imran Khan led Pakistan to its first and only ODI World Cup title in 1992 and remains one of the country’s most respected cricketing figures.