Gavaskar, Kapil, Vengsarkar Among 21 Ex-Captains Appealing For Imran's Treatment

New Delhi: They were fierceful rivals on the cricket field yet they shared a bond that transcends borders. In a true display of sportsman spirit, finding their former cricketer Imran Khan on a “sticky wicket”, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar are among the 21 former international cricket captains who have appealed to the Pakistani government for his proper medical treatment and access to family members.

In a letter addressed to the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday, the cricketers urged that the medical board directed by the Supreme Court, including Mr Khan's own doctors, be permitted to complete a full and independent assessment of his health, particularly the reported loss of vision in his right eye. They added that based on the outcome of that medical assessment the treatment recommended should be provided without delay. They also urged that the weekly family visits reinstated by the Supreme Court be honoured without interruption or administrative delay.

This letter comes six months after 14 former international cricket captains had written to Mr Sharif appealing for “humane treatment and proper medical care for Imran Khan.”

“We wrote then not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field — one that transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries. We write again now — joined by seven further former captains because of what has reportedly just occurred,” the ex captains wrote.

The current letter has names of 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, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh and John Wright.

They mentioned that Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered that Imran Khan be transferred to hospital for examination by a medical board that was to include his own personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan. The Court also reinstated weekly family visits.

“These were very welcome steps. Concerningly, Mr Khan's hospital stay lasted only a few hours. He was examined by a state appointed team rather than the board the Court had directed, declared "medically fit," and returned to Adiala Jail before that board could complete its work. His family and legal team say this falls short of what the Court ordered. We do not presume to adjudicate Pakistan's domestic legal processes. That is not our place, and it was not the spirit in which we wrote in February,” they wrote while putting forth their three issues.

They added that Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody. “Whatever the legal and political arguments surrounding his case, the basic decency of ensuring a court ordered medical process is actually completed is not, in our view, a controversial request. It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair. We hope this matter can be resolved expeditiously and with the dignity Mr Imran Khan deserves. Yours in cricket…” said the letter.