"Has To Be A Joke": PCB Mocked By Ex-Australia Star For Complaints Over Imran Khan's Sons' Interview
Former Australia cricketer Usman Khawaja was left in disbelief after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatened a walkout over the broadcast of Imran Khan's sons' interview.
- The PCB threatened a walkout from the second Test vs England if an interview of Imran Khan's sons was aired
- Former Australia cricketer Usman Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan, was left in disbelief at the PCB's demands
- "This has got to be a joke...," wrote Khawaja on Instagram
A bizarre incident took place on Thursday, as reports emerged that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had threatened a walkout from the second Test against England if the hosts' broadcaster Sky Sports aired an interview with the sons of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan. The PCB had reportedly initially requested for the interview to not be aired, but once it was, they had threatened that the team would not take the field. Former Australia cricketer Usman Khawaja labelled the PCB's actions as a "joke".
"This has got to be a joke...," wrote Khawaja on Instagram, reacting to the news of PCB's complaints. Incidentally, Khawaja is of Pakistani origin, having been born in the country's capital, Islamabad.
Multiple media outlets, including Cricinfo and The Guardian, claimed that the PCB wasn't happy to see Imran Khan's sons being in the spotlight during the Test.
Imran Khan's sons, Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, sat down in an 18-minute interview with former England cricketer Michael Atherton, discussing the topic of Imran Khan's imprisonment. It was aired by Sky Sports during the Lunch break on Day 1 of the second Test.
A former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan has been in jail for three years. In recent months, reports have emerged that he has been kept in complete isolation, while his family has accused that his medical needs have been neglected by the ruling government in Pakistan.
"It is not very clear what they are doing, just blatantly trying to kill him in there. Keep him in as long as possible and silence him," Kasim Khan said in the interview.
Imran Khan is widely regarded as one of Pakistan's greatest-ever cricketers, having captained the team to World Cup glory in 1992.
After Sky Sports went ahead with the broadcaster, it was reportedly a timely intervention by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that saw the match continue, amid the PCB's threats.
Usman Khawaja
Australia Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team