Border, Waugh among 7 ex-Australia captains in humanitarian plea for Imran Khan
Synopsis
Seven Australian cricket legends — including Allan Border and Steve Waugh — have taken the rare step of writing directly to Foreign Minister Penny Wong over Imran Khan's imprisonment. It is a deliberately non-political plea from some of the sport's biggest names, and it follows a 21-captain international petition that already counts Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and Pat Cummins among its signatories.
Key Takeaways
Allan Border , Greg Chappell , Ian Chappell , Belinda Clark , Kim Hughes , Mark Taylor , and Steve Waugh wrote to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on 15 September 2026 .
The letter is framed as a humanitarian appeal and explicitly states it takes 'no position on the legal or political case' against Khan.
Imran Khan , aged 73 , has been in custody for more than three years , with reports citing significant vision loss in his right eye.
An earlier petition signed by 21 former international captains — including Sunil Gavaskar , Kapil Dev , and Pat Cummins — urged Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to allow family access and independent medical checks.
Khan's son Sulaiman Isa Khan alleged in a Sky Sports interview that authorities are 'trying to kill him in there.'
Seven former Australian cricket captains have written to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, making a humanitarian appeal on behalf of Imran Khan — former Pakistan captain and ex-Prime Minister — who has been in custody for over three years. The letter, dated 15 September 2026, is the latest in a growing wave of international cricketing voices speaking out over Khan's detention.
Who Signed the Letter
The appeal was signed by Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor, and Steve Waugh. The signatories were careful to frame their intervention on strictly humanitarian grounds, stating they write 'not as diplomats or political figures, but as former captains who felt compelled to speak up.'
The letter explicitly clarified that the group 'takes no position on the legal or political case against Mr Khan,' describing that dimension as a matter for Pakistan. Their concern, they wrote, centres on 'any detained person's health' — 'a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics.'
Khan's Family Raises Health Alarm
The appeal comes after Imran Khan's son, Sulaiman Isa Khan, voiced stark concerns about his father's condition in an interview with Sky Sports during the ongoing England-Pakistan series. 'It's very, very clear what they're doing, which is they're just blatantly trying to kill him in there,' Sulaiman said. 'They just want to keep him in there as long as possible and hopefully just silence him.'
Notably, the Pakistan Cricket Board reportedly threatened to withdraw from the Lord's Test amid the controversy, but ultimately continued playing — and lost heavily.
A Broader Coalition of Cricket Captains
This letter follows an earlier, wider petition organised by Greg Chappell and addressed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. That petition, which carried 21 signatures from former international captains — including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Atherton, Adam Gilchrist, and Nasser Hussain — urged Pakistani authorities to grant Khan's family regular access and allow independent medical examinations.
Current Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins also publicly backed the petition, writing on his X account: 'Adding my support here to GC and the other former international captains. I hope the court-ordered medical assessment be allowed to run its course and that family visits continue. I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves.'
The Specific Concern: Health and Vision Loss
The petition highlighted reports of significant vision loss in Khan's right eye as a particular cause for alarm. Imran Khan is 73 years old and has spent more than three years in custody. The letter stated: '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.'
What Comes Next
The dual interventions — first the broader 21-captain petition and now the direct appeal to Penny Wong — signal an escalating effort to internationalise the humanitarian dimension of Khan's imprisonment. Whether Canberra will formally raise the matter with Islamabad remains to be seen, but the political cost of ignoring a letter bearing some of Australia's most celebrated sporting names is not insignificant.
Point of View
However carefully the cricket fraternity frames it as non-political. The real significance is structural: when 21 captains from England, India, Australia, and beyond converge on the same humanitarian demand, it becomes harder for Islamabad to dismiss as external interference. What this episode also exposes is the limits of cricket diplomacy — the Pakistan Cricket Board threatened to pull out of Lord's, then backed down and played, suggesting the board itself is caught between state pressure and institutional survival. Khan's reported vision loss and three-plus years in pre-trial custody are the inconvenient facts at the centre of this — facts that the letter, shrewdly, does not try to politicise.
NationPress
15 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which former Australian captains signed the letter to Penny Wong for Imran Khan?
The seven signatories are Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor, and Steve Waugh. They wrote to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in a humanitarian capacity, clarifying they take no position on the legal or political aspects of Khan's case.
Why are cricket captains appealing for Imran Khan?
The captains say their concern is strictly humanitarian — centred on the health and basic rights of any detained person, regardless of politics. Specific concerns include reports of significant vision loss in Khan's right eye and the denial of a court-ordered independent medical examination after more than three years in custody.
Who else has spoken up for Imran Khan from the cricket world?
An earlier petition organised by Greg Chappell and addressed to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif was signed by 21 former international captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Atherton, Adam Gilchrist, and Nasser Hussain. Current Australia captain Pat Cummins also publicly endorsed it on X.
What has Imran Khan's family said about his condition?
His son Sulaiman Isa Khan told Sky Sports during the England-Pakistan series that authorities are 'just blatantly trying to kill him in there' and are seeking to 'silence him.' The family has also raised concerns about Khan's deteriorating eyesight.
How long has Imran Khan been in custody?
Imran Khan, who is 73 years old, has been in custody for more than three years as of September 2026. The humanitarian appeal specifically calls for a court-ordered medical assessment to be completed and for family visits to be permitted.
