Seven Ex-Australian Cricket Captains Urge Government on Imran Khan Welfare

Seven former Australian cricket captains have written to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, urging the Australian government to raise humanitarian concerns about the treatment of former Pakistan Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan with Pakistani authorities. The signatories, including Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor, and Steve Waugh, emphasized they were acting as concerned former captains, not political figures. In their letter, the captains stated they take no position on the legal or political case against Khan, describing it as Pakistan's business. "But the treatment of any person in detention is a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics," they wrote. They requested that the Australian government raise the issue directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities. The appeal follows a series of interventions by international cricketers. In February 2026, 14 former international captains wrote to the Pakistani government. On August 23, 2022 former international captains addressed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, arguing that Khan's detention conditions fell below standards mandated by Pakistan's Supreme Court.