Imran Khan found renewed support from some of cricket’s biggest names as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Lahore to demand the jailed former Pakistan prime minister’s immediate release.

On the one hand, seven former Australian cricketers, Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes and Mark Taylor, wrote to Australian foreign minister Penny Wong, urging diplomatic action over Khan’s treatment in prison.

On the other hand, footage aired by Naya Pakistan Channel showed large crowds gathering in Lahore on Monday night to demand Khan’s immediate release.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the seven former Australian captains said they were writing “not as diplomats or political figures, but as former captains who felt compelled to speak up”.

They stressed that they “take no position on the legal or political case against Mr Khan”, describing that as a matter for Pakistan.

Their concern, the letter said, was with the treatment of any person in detention, which they called “a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics”.

The letter is the latest in a series of appeals by former international cricketers over the 73-year-old's health.

Earlier, a group of 22 former captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, had also earlier written to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram also recently urged the authorities to ensure that Khan received proper treatment.

“Imran Khan was my mentor. He’s my friend. I miss him a lot. I haven’t spoken to him for three years,” Akram told The Athletic.

Source: ndtv