'No, no, no': Babar Azam dismisses alleged PCB walkout over Imran Khan interview | WATCH

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam looked surprised when asked about PCB’s alleged plan to walk out following Imran Khan’s sons’ interview on day one of the concluded Lord’s Test. UK TV and digital outlet Sky Sports telecast an interview with Imran’s sons Kasim and Suleiman during lunch on the opening day of the second Test amid reports of PCB warning its players not to take the field should that go ahead. While Sky aired that interview and Pakistani players also took the field after lunch, team captain Babar denied knowledge of the recent developments and reports that the PCB had threatened to boycott the then-ongoing Test match.

Pakistan lost the second Test by 194 runs, with returning Babar failing to produce runs with the bat. After missing out on the series opener due to a finger injury, Babar returned to the playing XI for the next match, replacing Salman Agha. The talismanic batter endured a tough time facing express pace and seam under the clouds, managing 8 and 6 across two innings, respectively.

While scoring runs in English conditions remains a challenge for the right-hander, facing the country’s media is no less after he successfully dodged a question around Imran Khan’s sons’ interview.

Speaking to Test Match Special after conceding the Test and the three-match Test series (2-0), Babar responded to questions around the controversial interview that has gripped Pakistan cricket. When asked about reports of the travelling side deciding against taking the field post-lunch on day one, Babar said, ‘No, no, no...I haven’t heard that thing.”

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Father’s Health Deteriorating: Imran’s Sons

Former England captain Michael Atherton interviewed Imran Khan’s sons on SKY, where the two spoke about concerns regarding their imprisoned father’s health in Pakistan’s Adiala Jail. The latest reports suggested that the PCB chairman and Pakistan’s minister of interior affairs, Mohsin Naqvi, also requested Sky not to air that interview before the UK publication eventually telecast it.

Amid reports of PCB threatening a walkout, Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed countered questions around the same on the second day of the Test, saying, “I don’t know anything. I’m just focusing on the match. You’re talking about the interview? We don’t know about the interview. All are OK. We were having lunch at that time.”

Kasim, one of Imran’s two sons, said, “They’re completely isolating him for more than 23 hours a day in a cell. So right now it’s really crucial for us that he gets proper treatment. When he was seen by them, he had an eye patch on from the eye situation. He seemed visibly stressed. And that is something that’s very hard for us to imagine because he embodies a kind of calm, assured presence every time I have seen him, even in very, very tough situations.”

Meanwhile, the PCB has also reportedly informed the squad members not to speak on this matter in public for the remainder of the tour.