Former England captain Michael Atherton has revealed why he joined a gaggle of 21 former worldwide cricketers in calling on Pakistani authorities to make sure imprisoned former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan receives correct medical therapy.Imran has been in jail since 2023 after being convicted in corruption instances, fees he has vehemently denied. Issues over his well being have grown in current months, with experiences earlier this yr claiming that he had misplaced sight in a single eye.The experiences prompted former cricketers to attraction to the authorities for his medical care. Final week, 21 former worldwide gamers once more wrote to the authorities after Imran was reportedly taken to a hospital following an order from the nation’s prime court docket, however was allegedly not correctly examined.Atherton, talking on a Sky Sports activities cricket podcast alongside former England captain Nasser Hussain, mentioned the attraction was not merely about making certain medical therapy for Imran. He additionally expressed concern over what he described as an try and erase the previous Pakistan chief from public life.“Nass [Nasser Hussain] and I have been amongst 21 former captains who despatched a second letter yesterday, a humanitarian attraction for Imran Khan to get the requisite stage of therapy. However I suppose the fundamental theme was the best way the state has tried to airbrush Imran virtually out of existence, which is more and more tough to do in a social media age,” Atherton mentioned on a Sky Sports activities cricket podcast within the firm of Hussain.The group included a number of outstanding former cricketers from throughout the cricketing world. Former India captains Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar have been additionally amongst those that signed the attraction.The involvement of the three Indian cricketers was significantly notable given the political tensions between India and Pakistan and Imran’s personal historical past as Pakistan’s prime minister.Kapil defined why he felt compelled to help his former cricketing rival and pal, whereas additionally acknowledging that Pakistani cricketers may very well be in a tough place in the event that they spoke publicly.“I don’t blame Pakistani cricketers for not talking up. They must dwell there. However I want to help my pal, whom we admired and performed with,” Kapil mentioned.The previous India captain careworn that the attraction was not about intervening in Pakistan’s authorized course of however about making certain primary care and dignity for a prisoner.“We do not know the regulation of the nation, that is effective. However humility and easy amenities must be given to a prisoner, whoever he could also be. And he was a former prime minister of the nation and a prime cricketer.“We wish him to get the very best therapy, [that’s] what we’re asking for. We aren’t asking for anything, we’re not asking for any replies, we’re requesting,” the previous India captain added.Imran led Pakistan to their solely males’s ODI World Cup title in 1992 and was thought-about one of many most interesting all-rounders the sport has ever seen, earlier than transferring into politics and ultimately turning into the nation’s prime minister. His imprisonment has continued to attract worldwide consideration, whereas issues over his well being have added one other dimension to the controversy surrounding his detention.
