An open letter initiated by former Australia captain Greg Chappell and signed by 20 other former international captains has called on the Pakistan government to allow a Supreme Court-ordered medical board including Imran Khan’s personal physicians to complete a full independent assessment of the 73-year-old’s health with particular attention to reported loss of vision in his right eye. The signatories also demanded that weekly family visits reinstated by the court proceed without administrative delays or interruptions while requesting that any recommended treatment following the assessment be administered without delay. According to the letter the captains framed their intervention as a matter of basic human decency rooted in their past relationships with Khan on the cricket field rather than any political involvement. The appeal marks the second such communication in six months following an initial letter from 14 captains in February that similarly highlighted concerns over Khan’s reported health deterioration during more than three years in custody.
The latest letter was reported by outlets including The Hindu and Dawn which published its full text and noted that the group has grown to include prominent figures such as Sunil Gavaskar Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar from India along with Michael Atherton Michael Brearley Nasser Hussain Andrew Strauss David Gower from England and Allan Border Ian Chappell Adam Gilchrist Steve Waugh Kim Hughes Belinda Clark from Australia. Clive Lloyd of the West Indies Arjuna Ranatunga of Sri Lanka and John Wright of New Zealand were also among the signatories according to a copy of the document cited by ESPNcricinfo. The captains explicitly stated they wrote not as politicians but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field one that transcends borders and disputes. This collective appeal underscores the widespread concern within the global cricket community over the conditions facing the man who captained Pakistan to its 1992 World Cup victory.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court had directed that Khan be transferred to a hospital for examination by a medical board that was to include his own doctors and his sister Dr Uzma Khan as detailed in reports from multiple Pakistani and international media. Instead Khan was taken to a facility examined briefly by a state-appointed team declared medically fit and returned to Adiala Jail within hours before the court-directed board could complete its work according to the captains’ letter. The development prompted the renewed call from the former captains who expressed profound concern over recent reports about his health and the conditions of his imprisonment. Dawn reported that facilities for a recommended computed tomography angiography were unavailable at the initial hospital further complicating his care.
Imran Khan who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until his removal in a 2022 no-confidence vote has faced numerous legal cases since leaving office many of which his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party maintains are politically motivated. He has been in custody since May 2023 and was sentenced late last year to 17 years in prison alongside his wife in a corruption case that both have denied according to accounts in The News and other regional publications. The former world-class all-rounder turned politician has seen his health become a focal point with family members and lawyers raising alarms over lack of access to specialists and prolonged restrictions on visits. The captains noted in their correspondence that they do not presume to adjudicate Pakistan’s domestic legal processes but simply seek humane treatment in line with international standards.
In the February 2026 letter the original 14 signatories including several who returned for the August appeal had urged immediate adequate and ongoing medical attention from specialists of Khan’s choosing as well as dignified detention conditions with regular family access and fair legal processes. The current document builds on that foundation by referencing the Supreme Court orders that initially appeared to address some of those concerns but were not fully implemented. Greg Chappell who drafted both appeals emphasized the group’s respect for Pakistan’s institutions while pressing for compliance with the court’s directives on medical and visitation matters. Additional signatories in the latest version brought further weight from across the cricketing world including former England captains and women’s cricket pioneer Belinda Clark.
The letter concludes by expressing hope that the matter can be resolved expeditiously and with the dignity Imran Khan deserves as a legendary figure in the sport. It has drawn attention to the intersection of sports heritage and political accountability in Pakistan where Khan remains a polarizing yet influential personality even while incarcerated. Coverage across Indian and Pakistani media has highlighted the unusual nature of cricketing greats from rival nations uniting on this humanitarian issue. No immediate response from the Pakistani government to the latest appeal had been reported as of Sunday.
