Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed downplayed the tension between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over a Sky Sports interview with Imran Khan's sons.

The controversy arose in the ongoing second Test between two teams at Lord’s. While multiple reports claimed that the PCB threatened a walk-off because of the interview, Sarfaraz completely dismissed the rumors. He stated that the squad was simply having lunch and remains entirely focused on the Test match.

"I don't know anything. I'm just focusing on the match," Sarfaraz replied after a British journalist asked him about discussions between the ECB and PCB over the Imran family interview.

"You're talking about the interview? We don't know about the interview," he clarified, before assuring that all is well in the dressing room. "All are OK. We were having lunch at that time," Sarfaraz responded when enquired if Pakistan considered abandoning the match and the remaining tour after the interview was aired.

Imran, Pakistan's World Cup-winning captain, has been in jail since 2023 over corruption charges. Sky Sports aired an 18-minute interview with Kasim and Sulaiman Khan—the sons of former Pakistan Prime Minister—during the lunch interval on Day 1 of the Lord's Test.

In the interview, Imran’s sons alleged a "blatant" attempt to kill their father in prison, claiming his conditions have severely deteriorated under solitary confinement and that he is being denied critical medical care.

According to multiple reports, the PCB objected to mixing politics with cricket coverage and asked Sky Sports not to air the segment during the lunch break, threatening that players might not return for the afternoon session.

However, the interview was broadcast in the UK and members of the Pakistan squad were seen watching it during the lunch break. It was omitted from the domestic feed by state broadcaster PTV in Pakistan.

Despite the standoff and intervention involving cricket board discussions, the Pakistan team returned to take the field in the post-lunch session, and the Test match continued normally.

Earlier, 21 former international cricket captains—including Indian legends Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar—signed a joint letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif demanding immediate, adequate medical care and humane treatment for Imran Khan in prison. No former Pakistani cricketers were among the letter's signatories.