Gavaskar, Kapil Dev Join Global Cricket Captains’ Appeal for Imran Khan’s Medical Care

Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar have joined a renewed international appeal urging Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper medical treatment and humane conditions for jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister and 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan. The appeal, initiated by former Australia captain Greg Chappell, comes amid renewed concerns over Khan’s health and questions over whether recent medical arrangements have complied with directions issued by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

The letter, reported as being signed by 21 former international captains, marks the second appeal in around six months concerning the 73-year-old Khan’s welfare. Signatories include Allan Border, Michael Atherton, Ian Chappell, Alastair Cook, Adam Gilchrist, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Stephen Waugh and John Wright, among others.

The captains urged authorities to allow the Supreme Court-directed medical board, including Khan’s personal doctors, to complete an independent assessment, particularly amid reports of vision loss in his right eye. They also demanded that court-ordered weekly family visits be honoured without interruption and that any treatment recommended by the assessment be provided without delay.

The appeal follows an August 18 Supreme Court order directing Khan’s medical evaluation. Authorities instead took him to the government-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) rather than Shifa International Hospital, citing security concerns. After a brief examination, Khan was returned to Adiala Jail, with a government medical team reportedly declaring him fit.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has disputed the process and alleged that recommended tests, including CT angiography, were not completed. Pakistan’s government has rejected allegations of medical neglect and said Khan has received regular access to doctors and visitors, citing more than 900 visits since his imprisonment in 2023.

The former captains stressed that they were not seeking to interfere in Pakistan’s domestic legal proceedings, but viewed compliance with a court-ordered medical process as a basic matter of decency. Their intervention brings together former cricketing rivals and legends from several generations behind a common humanitarian appeal over the welfare of one of cricket’s most prominent former captains.