Usman Khawaja Imran Khan Mohsin Naqvi for Pakistan. Image Credits: AFP
Usman Khawaja, former Australian batter, has given his reaction to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) threats to Sky Cricket. This came after the British broadcasters aired an interview featuring former England captain Michael Atherton and the sons of former Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan.
Sulaiman and Kasim Khan shared grave concerns about their father’s condition in the Adilabad prison, where he has been lodged since August 2023. They alleged that Imran Khan is not in the best of health at the age of 73 and Pakistani authorities are not providing him with adequate medical care.
Usman Khawaja calls the PCB's threat to boycott the Lord's Test a “joke” over the Imran Khan interview
In an interview with former England captain Michael Atherton, the brothers questioned Imran's treatment inside and voiced concern for their father's well-being.
Soon after the interview with Imran Khan’s sons had aired, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a formal complaint to Sky Sports after the broadcaster.
According to Cricinfo, the PCB took into account the possibility of Pakistan refusing to play in protest after the break. PCB stated that if the interview were broadcast, their players would not return to the field after lunch.
Before airing the 18-minute segment, Sky postponed the broadcast. By the time it was over, Pakistan's players were getting ready to take the field again at 2:40 p.m. local time for the second session.
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Now former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja shared his reaction to this news on social media and called the PCB's reaction to the interview a joke.
"This has got to be a joke," Khawaja commented on Cricinfo’s post on Instagram.
Imran Khan’s sons level huge allegations about mistreatment of ex-Pakistan prime minister
Kasim claims that Imran has lost more than 80% of his eyesight in one eye, and the former Pakistani captain has recently been seen with an eye patch. The brothers added that Imran spends more than 23 hours a day alone in a small cell and has limited access to books and other amenities.
The brothers further disclosed that they have been making a concerted effort to visit Imran Khan while he is incarcerated in Pakistan. They stated that "technical grounds" were used to reject or block their visas. Despite their concerns about being detained, the brothers said they were willing to face the risk of visiting their father in Pakistan.
They also shared that their worst fears were confirmed when Imran Khan was recently taken to a government hospital for a checkup instead of being taken to a private hospital for better treatment. They alleged that the Pakistani authorities are making sure that Imran Khan doesn’t survive.
Usman Khawaja's surprising Pakistan connect
Usman Khawaja, surprisingly, has had Pakistan roots. The veteran left-hander was born in Islamabad, Pakistan and migrated to Australia with his family when he was just 4 years old. Khawaja holds both Pakistan and Australian dual citizenship.
For Australia, Usman remains to be the 1st ever Pakistan origin player to represent Australia in their Test team. In 2022, Usman Khawaja made his 1st tour of Pakistan as an Australian player.
In that series, he was the top scorer of the series from both teams as he scored 496 runs in 5 innings of 3 Test matches at an average of 165.33.
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