Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding has joined the growing list of cricketing figures calling for better treatment of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, saying the imprisoned 1992 World Cup winner should be treated “just like another human being”.
Imran has been in a Pakistani prison since 2023 while facing ongoing legal cases, with concerns over his health and access to basic facilities continuing to grow. His family has claimed that he does not even have access to books and has not been provided proper medical facilities.
The issue gained fresh attention after 21 international captains including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging authorities to ensure basic amenities for Imran. Pat Cummins, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad and Brian Lara also subsequently spoke in support of humane treatment for the former Pakistan all-rounder.
Michael Holding speaks out for Imran Khan
Holding, who played alongside and against Imran during their international careers, said the situation involving the former Pakistan captain was deeply upsetting.
“I’ll mention one name, Imran Khan, but you probably don’t want to go down the political route, and I don’t want to either, but that’s a sad story. become one of the former Pakistan captain’s defining legacies. I played with Imran, I wouldn’t say I played a lot. I played some one-day games with him. I played county cricket, a few games against Imran, but apart from playing with Imran, I have spent time with Imran,” Holding told Sports Now.
The former fast bowler recalled his association with Imran away from cricket as well. He remembered accompanying him in London when the former Pakistan captain was raising funds for his cancer hospital.
“When Imran was going around London looking to garner funds for that cancer hospital, I went around with him, I tried to support him as best as I possibly could, where that was concerned. So I know the man, and I know exactly what type of person that he is. And it’s extremely sad to see the situation now and what is going on with Imran Khan,” the 72-year-old recalled.
Holding’s comments came after the appeal from former international captains seeking proper medical care and family access for Imran. The West Indies great backed that demand while stressing that the issue should not be viewed simply through the prism of politics.
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‘You don’t treat human beings that way’
Holding said he fully supported the captains who had written to the Pakistan Prime Minister and questioned why Imran should be treated differently from other prisoners.
“I am in total support of the captains who wrote that letter. I don’t know what effect it will have, but I am in total support of trying to get the man to be treated just like another human being. You don’t treat human beings that way. People who have committed murder aren’t treated that way. So I don’t see the reason why this man should be treated that way,” Holding said.
He also questioned whether jealousy could be a factor, pointing to Imran’s extraordinary global profile.
“I don’t know if there’s jealousy involved in this, because Imran Khan. I don’t think there’s a Pakistani that is more well known around the world than Imran Khan. That is ridiculous, the way the man is being treated,” he added.
The controversy surrounding Imran’s prison conditions had already spilled into the cricketing world after Michael Atherton interviewed his sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, on the sidelines of the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan. The PCB subsequently threatened to pull out of the fixture, but Sky Sports went ahead and broadcast the 18-minute interview.
In the interview, Imran’s sons alleged that their father was being denied proper medical facilities. Holding’s intervention has now added another prominent voice to the calls for humane treatment of the former Pakistan captain.
