A diplomatic and sporting controversy has overshadowed the second Test between Pakistan and England at Lord’s, after reports emerged that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatened to abandon the ongoing three-match tour over a planned Sky Sports interview with the imprisoned former Pakistani prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan’s two sons.
The interview, featuring Suleiman and Kasim Khan, aired during the lunch break on the opening day of the Lord’s Test. In the sit-down conversation hosted by former England captain Michael Atherton, the pair raised urgent concerns about the prison treatment and personal security of their 73-year-old father, while also criticizing the British government’s public response to his detention. Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to its historic 1992 Cricket World Cup victory and served as the country’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been held in prison since 2023 on corruption charges he has repeatedly and vehemently denied.
According to insider sources, the PCB warned the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that it would call off the Lord’s Test and the remaining matches of the tour if the interview went ahead. Despite receiving a pre-broadcast complaint about the segment, Sky Sports went ahead and aired a edited version of the conversation. Pakistani public broadcaster PTV, which holds domestic rights to the tour and uses Sky’s broadcast footage, opted to cut the interview from its domestic transmission.
In the wake of the incident, Pakistan’s head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has claimed he and the full national squad had no advance knowledge of the PCB’s threat. Speaking to reporters at the close of play on day two, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper dismissed any suggestion that the team considered refusing to return to the field after lunch for the afternoon session.
“I don’t know anything. I’m just focusing on the match,” Sarfaraz said. “You’re talking about the interview? We don’t know about the interview. All are OK. We were having lunch at that time.”
The ECB confirmed it sought official guidance from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office amid rising tensions over the broadcast. Ultimately, the Pakistan side did return to the pitch after the lunch break, and the Test has proceeded without further disruption through the end of day two. As of the close of play on day two, England held a 261-run first innings lead, moving to 81 for three in their second innings. Sky Sports also confirmed it received no additional formal complaints regarding the interview after broadcast.
Notably, this incident marks a rare high-profile moment of off-field tension in recent cricket relations between the two nations. After a 17-year hiatus in England tours to Pakistan driven by widespread security concerns, this will be the fourth separate England tour to Pakistan in four years, when the side travels to the country in October for a tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The controversy also echoes an unprecedented incident from 2006, when a Test between the two sides at The Oval was abandoned after Pakistan refused to return to the field following tea on day four, in protest at a ball-tampering accusation from match officials. That match ended with Pakistan being forfeited — the only instance of a Test match forfeiture in the 147-year history of international Test cricket.
The PCB is currently led by chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also holds the official position of Pakistan’s interior minister.