Javed Miandad in tears as he defends ‘honest man’ Imran Khan following sons’ emotional interview
· Yahoo Sports
Javed Miandad in tears as he defends ‘honest man’ Imran Khan following sons’ emotional interview originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Pakistan veteran Javed Miandad broke down defending Imran Khan as an "honest man" amid ongoing concerns over his imprisonment and health.
- Imran's sons had earlier raised alarm over prison conditions during a Sky Sports interview at the Lord's Test.
- Several former international captains, including Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, have publicly called for Imran to receive proper medical care.
Javed Miandad in tears as he defends 'honest' Imran Khan
Javed Miandad couldn't hold back tears while speaking about his former Pakistan teammate Imran Khan, as he made an impassioned plea for his release and firmly rejected any suggestion that the country's 1992 World Cup-winning captain was ever corrupt.
The former Pakistan prime minister, who's been in prison since August 2023, recently underwent a medical examination in Islamabad before being returned to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
His political party has since challenged how that examination was carried out, particularly given that Pakistan's Supreme Court had specifically directed that he be taken to Shifa International Hospital and given access to doctors, including his own personal physician.
MORE: Imran's sons' interview courts controversy: PCB complains with Sky
This controversy spilled into cricket earlier this week, when Imran's sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, sat down for an interview with Michael Atherton as part of Sky Sports' coverage of the England-Pakistan Test at Lord's. During that conversation, they voiced serious concerns about their father's health and prison conditions, alleging he was being kept isolated for more than 23 hours a day and claiming authorities were deliberately trying to keep him behind bars and silence him.
Pakistani authorities have rejected these claims, insisting Imran has received proper medical care throughout his time in custody.
A day after that emotional interview drew widespread attention, Miandad himself broke down while discussing the situation involving the man he shared so much of his international career with.
Speaking on the Narrative YouTube channel, he said: "He is an honest man. He is not someone who engages in corrupt practices; otherwise, he would have done a lot of things. What will happen if you let him out? Will he eat or damage someone? He is also someone's son. I always think about what he must be doing.”
Miandad explained that his conviction about Imran's integrity came from years of closeness, both representing Pakistan together and playing county cricket alongside each other.
Getty ImagesWere Miandad and Imran always rivals while playing for Pakistan?
Miandad also pushed back on the widely held perception that he and Imran had a rivalry throughout their careers. While their relationship did have disagreements, both during their playing days and afterwards, particularly over the direction of Pakistan cricket, Miandad insisted their core purpose on the field was always shared.
“We didn't have any rivalry,” Miandad asserted.
Miandad and Imran anchored the side through the 1980s and into the early 1990s, culminating in the unforgettable 1992 World Cup win in Australia.
In the final against England at the MCG, Pakistan had slumped to 24 for 2 before the two came together at the crease to add 139 runs for the third wicket. Imran contributed 72 and Miandad 58, which laid the groundwork for the victory that remains Pakistan's only men's ODI World Cup title.
MORE: Five instances when a team refused to take the field in Test matches
Concerns over Imran's medical care have extended well beyond Pakistan's borders too. A group of former international captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Greg Chappell, recently issued a joint appeal calling for proper medical treatment for the jailed cricketer. Australia's current captain Pat Cummins has also spoken, calling for Imran to be treated with basic dignity.
MORE: 'Embarrassing': Cricket World reacts after Pakistan’s dismal batting in Lord's Test vs England
Why this crossover between sport and politics feels different
There's something different about watching cricket, a sport built on rivalries and national pride, become the stage for this kind of raw, emotional political appeal. Miandad's tears weren't performative; they reflected decades of shared history with a teammate whose current circumstances he clearly finds deeply troubling, regardless of whatever professional disagreements existed between them over the years.
What makes this moment particularly significant is the breadth of voices now speaking up, cutting across old cricketing rivalries entirely. Indian legends like Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, an Australian captain in Cummins, and now a Pakistani icon in Miandad, all converging around a shared concern for basic medical dignity, suggest this issue has moved beyond domestic politics into something the cricketing world sees as a matter of simple humanity.
Whether or not one agrees with Imran Khan's politics, there's a compelling argument that cricket's global community speaking with something close to a unified voice on prisoner treatment carries weight.
For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages.