India’s great World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has publicly backed Pakistani former captain and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying he wants to “stand up” for his long-time friend. Kapil’s comments came as a group of former international cricket captains once again appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give Khan humane treatment and proper medical treatment for his detention since August 2023.
Imran Khan’s health and treatment he has received while imprisoned has been the subject of a fresh appeal. Pakistan's Supreme Court had ordered Khan to be transferred to a hospital and a medical board would be appointed to examine him and his sister Dr Uzma Khan. The cricketing legends suggest that the process did not work completely as directed.
Kapil Dev addressed the silence in the current Pakistan cricket fraternity and said he understood why Pakistani cricketers might be reluctant to speak publicly. “Those players are still living and working in Pakistan and may face different circumstances than those of retired world cricketers from abroad,” he said.
"I don’t blame Pakistani cricketers for not speaking up. They have to live there. But I want to stand up for my friend Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan,” he said.
The former India captain also said the appeal was not about interference in Pakistan’s political or legal affairs. Instead, he said the former Pakistan captain should receive proper medical attention and that it was only a request for his health and wellbeing to be properly assessed.
“We are not asking for anything. We are just asking that he gets access to proper treatment. We don’t want any replies; we just want him to get the treatment he needs,” Kapil said.
Kapil Dev and Imran Khan had a long association going back to their playing careers. Both were among the best all-rounders of their generation and eventually became captains of their respective national teams. Their careers were defined by their leadership, competitive spirit and success on the international stage.
The two also had one of the greatest accomplishments in cricket by leading their countries to World Cup wins. Kapil took India to their historic 1983 World Cup victory, while Imran took Pakistan to their first World Cup title in 1992. They remain friends outside of the cricket field and speak warmly about each other.
Kapil is among 21 former international captains who have signed the latest letter to Shehbaz Sharif. The list includes Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh and John Wright.
The latest appeal is the second time former cricket captains have written to the Pakistani government about the treatment of Imran Khan. Cricketers say their intervention is not politically motivated and is only because international players have played against and alongside each other on the cricket field.
In their recent letter, the former captains referred to a previous appeal made months earlier and said they were writing again because of concerns over what had reportedly happened following the Supreme Court’s directions.
The letter also mentioned Khan’s hospital stay lasted only a few hours before he was brought back to Adiala Jail. It also raised concerns that he was examined by a state-appointed medical team rather than the medical board that the court had directed to include his own physicians and his sister.
The former cricketers specifically called for an independent medical assessment, particularly because of reports that Khan’s right eye was losing vision. They also advised authorities to ensure that weekly family visits, which had supposedly been resumed by the Supreme Court, continued as scheduled.
The signatories were also not commenting on the larger legal and political issues surrounding Imran Khan. They insisted that the completion of a court-ordered medical procedure should be taken as a basic humanitarian issue.
Imran Khan, now 73, has been under multiple legal proceedings after being ousted from office and has been in jail for years. His legal troubles and imprisonment have continued to create political controversy in Pakistan and even his supporters have voiced their opinion on his treatment.
Kapil Dev’s intervention adds a significant voice from outside Pakistan to the growing international attention surrounding Khan’s reported health concerns. His personal connection with the former Pakistan captain has also given his comments particular significance.
While Kapil appreciated the difficulty of Pakistani cricketers’ situation, Kapil’s message was clear: The appeal is not so much about politics or legal arguments as getting a former international sporting icon treated for his health and wellbeing.
For now, the cricketing legends’ appeal puts the spotlight once more on Imran Khan’s health and the implementation of the court’s reported directions. And Kapil Dev’s message, also shared by others, is that regardless of political differences or legal disputes, access to proper medical care should remain a fundamental concern.
