World Cup winner to prisoner: Can cricket’s ideals of dignity and rivalry reshape how Pakistan treats Imran Khan?

Imran Khan’s long career in Pakistani politics produced many unforgettable images. In 2014, he stood atop a shipping container to rage against the US and his own nation’s elite; in 2018, he delivered his memorable first address as prime minister, holding up illustrations of what malnourishment did to children’s brains, and promising to turn the country into an Islamist welfare state.For millions around the world, however, none of these pictures from his later life will ever be as memorable as the spectacle of nearly 40-year-old Imran holding up the world cup that Pakistan’s cricketers had just won.

That’s certainly true for me. I can vividly recall sitting on the floor on that spring day in 1992, a young boy in Kolkata, watching the charismatic team captain’s victory speech.Since Khan was sent to jail (allegedly for corruption) by the military-dominated establishment in 2023, this once-unstoppable supply of pictures has dried up.

He has been isolated and denied proper medical attention for weeks; and eventually, Pakistanis and the world have come to realize that he might now be seriously ill.Last week, support came from an unexpected quarter. More than a dozen former cricket captains wrote to the current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, asking him to ensure that his predecessor received access to medical care, more humane conditions in jail and proper access to legal counsel.

The signatories were legends of equivalent lustre to Khan from Australia, India, West Indies, England and elsewhere: Allan Border, Greg Chappell, David Gower and Clive Lloyd. This is unprecedented.