Australia captain Pat Cummins, who also led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has backed a petition led by several former international cricket captains, including former Australia captain Greg Chappell, calling for dignified treatment and proper medical care for jailed former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The petition, led by Chappell and addressed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has also been signed by former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar. It calls on Pakistani authorities to allow Khan’s family to visit him and ensure that he receives independent medical examinations.
Cummins showed his support for the appeal on Friday through a post on X.
"Adding my support here to GC and the other former international captains. I hope the court-ordered medical assessment be allowed to run its course, and that family visits continue. I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves," Cummins wrote on his ‘X’ account on Friday.
The petition has been signed by 21 former international captains, including Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Atherton, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Nasser Hussain. The former players have expressed serious concern about Khan’s health, especially reports that he has suffered major vision problems in his right eye during his more than three years in custody.
The former captains have made three main requests. They want Khan to undergo a complete medical examination by a Supreme Court-directed medical board that includes his personal doctors. They are also asking for his weekly family visits to continue without interruption and for any medical treatment recommended by the doctors to be provided immediately.
The signatories described themselves as ‘former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field’ that ‘transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries’.
Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to their first Men’s ODI World Cup title in 1992, became the country’s prime minister in 2018. He was removed from office in 2022 and has been in jail since August 2023 after being convicted in several cases. His party and supporters have repeatedly said that the cases against him are politically motivated.
The latest appeal comes after controversy over Khan’s recent medical examination. He was examined by a government-appointed medical team at a government facility instead of being taken to a private hospital, where his own doctors could examine him. This was despite an order from Pakistan’s Supreme Court calling for his medical assessment.
Chappell also spoke about Khan’s health recently on The Grade Cricketer podcast. He said he was deeply worried about the former Pakistan captain’s condition.