ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board made a formal complaint to Sky Sports after the broadcaster aired an interview with the sons of former prime minister and captain Imran Khan during the lunch interval on the first day at Lord's. The PCB considered the option of Pakistan not taking the field after the break in protest, Cricinfo reported.

Former England captain and current Sky Sports broadcaster Mike Atherton conducted the interview, in which Imran's sons, Suleiman and Kasim Khan expressed concerns about the health of their father, who has been in prison for three years, and said they feared for his life.

The PCB is understood to have contacted Sky ahead of the lunch break to protest the segment, threatening that their players would not return to the field after lunch if it aired. During those conversations, Sky delayed the interview, before eventually running the 18 minute clip. By the time it had concluded, Pakistan's players were preparing to return to the field to resume the second session, at 2:40pm.

Atherton conducted the interview with Imran's sons on Wednesday morning in the Writer's Room at Lord's, with Sky running a teaser in the build up to this Test. In Pakistan, PTV, which is broadcasting the series, did not broadcast the interview.

Imran's health has been the focus of growing scrutiny over the past few weeks, with his sons stepping up their efforts to get him what they say is appropriate health care. Last week, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) ordered him to be admitted to Shifa Hospital in the capital Islamabad. Instead, he was taken to the state run PIMS hospital, and returned to prison shortly after a check up. Imran's sisters and sons have alleged this was a violation of the court order, and have demanded he be allowed to see his personal doctor.

Last week, 21 former captains, including Atherton, wrote a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, urging him to ensure Imran receives proper care in prison. The letter included captains from India, Australia, England, West Indies and New Zealand. It was a follow up to a previous letter 14 captains had written in February, one that received no reply from the Pakistani government.

Ultimately, Pakistan did take the field as scheduled after tea. The Pakistani government rejected allegations that Khan had been mistreated in prison or denied contact with his family and lawyers in a statement to AP last week, saying that he had received more than 900 visits from his family, lawyers and doctors since his imprisonment in August 2023.