Sarfaraz says Pakistan team was unaware of PCB-ECB row over Imran’s sons’ interview

LONDON: Pakistan Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said he and the players were unaware of any dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over a Sky Sports interview with the sons of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The interview with Imran Khan’s sons, Suleiman and Kasim Khan, was aired by Sky Sports during the lunch interval on the opening day of the Test between Pakistan and England at Lord’s.

Former England captain Michael Atherton conducted the interview.

Asked about the interview during Pakistan’s press conference on the second day of the Lord’s Test, Sarfaraz said he had no knowledge of any issue surrounding it and was focused solely on the match.

“I don’t know anything. I’m just focusing on the match,” Sarfaraz said.

When a reporter asked whether there had been any suggestion that Pakistan’s players would refuse to return to the field after lunch, Sarfaraz immediately rejected the suggestion.

“No, no, no, no, no,” he said.

Asked again about the interview, Sarfaraz said the players had been having lunch at the time it was broadcast and were unaware of the matter.

“You’re talking about the interview? We don’t know about the interview. All are OK. We were having lunch at that time,” he said.

According to reports, the PCB had expressed displeasure over the interview and was understood to have raised the matter with the ECB. Reports also suggested there had been hesitation over the Pakistan team returning to the field after the lunch interval.

Sarfaraz, however, said there had been no such discussion within the team.

“We were preparing to come on to the field after the lunch break as usual. We didn’t know anything about the interview,” he said.

The comments came amid reports of a controversy between the PCB and ECB over the broadcast of the interview with Imran Khan’s sons.