Information

Imran Khan      

Pakistan

Full name Imran Khan Niazi

Born November 25, 1952, Lahore, Punjab

Current age 61 years 75 days

Major teams Pakistan, Dawood Club, Lahore, New South Wales, Oxford University, Pakistan International Airlines, Sussex, Worcestershire

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast

Other Administrator

Relation Cousin - Javed Burki, Cousin - Majid Khan

In a nutshell Imran Khan is indisputably the greatest cricketer to emerge from Pakistan, and arguably the world's second-best allrounder after Garry Sobers. He took a mediocre side and transformed them into world-beaters, leading them to the World Cup title in 1992. More

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	6s	Ct	St
Tests	88	126	25	3807	136	37.69			6	18	55	28	0
ODIs	175	151	40	3709	102*	33.41	5105	72.65	1	19		36	0
First-class	382	582	99	17771	170	36.79			30	93		117	0
List A	425	384	80	10100	114*	33.22			5	66		84	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	88	142	19458	8258	362	8/58	14/116	22.81	2.54	53.7	17	23	6
ODIs	175	153	7461	4844	182	6/14	6/14	26.61	3.89	40.9	3	1	0
First-class	382		65224	28726	1287	8/34		22.32	2.64	50.6		70	13
List A	425		19122	11312	507	6/14	6/14	22.31	3.54	37.7	12	6	0

Career statistics

Test debut	England v Pakistan at Birmingham, Jun 3-8, 1971 scorecard
Last Test	Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Faisalabad, Jan 2-7, 1992 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut	England v Pakistan at Nottingham, Aug 31, 1974 scorecard
Last ODI	England v Pakistan at Melbourne, Mar 25, 1992 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span	1969-1992
List A span	1973-1992

Profile

Few would dispute that Imran was the finest cricketer Pakistan has produced, or the biggest heartthrob. Suave, erudite and monstrously talented, he gave cricket in the subcontinent real sex appeal in the 1970s and 1980s. As such he and TV completed the popularisation of the game in his country which Hanif Mohammad and the radio had begun. Thousands, if not millions, who had never dreamt of bowling fast on heartless baked mud suddenly wanted to emulate Imran and his lithe bounding run, his leap and his reverse-swinging yorker.

He also made himself into an allrounder worth a place for his batting alone, and captained Pakistan as well as anyone, rounding off his career with the 1992 World Cup. He played hardly any domestic cricket in Pakistan: instead he just flew in for home series from Worcestershire or Sussex, or rather from the more fashionable London salons. His averages (37 with the bat, 22 with the ball) put him at the top of the quartet of allrounders (Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev being the others) who dominated Test cricket in the 1980s. And whereas Botham declined steadily, Imran just got better and better: in his last 10 years of international cricket he played 51 Tests, averaging a sensational 50 with the bat and 19 with the ball. He gave no quarter during some memorable battles with West Indies - Pakistan drew three series with them at a time when everybody else was being bounced out of sight - and he led Pakistan to their first series victory in England in 1987, taking 10 for 77 with an imperious display in the decisive victory at Headingley. After retirement he remained a high-profile figure, with his marriage - and subsequent split with - the socialite Jemima Goldsmith and a move into the labyrinthine world of Pakistan politics.
Martin Williamson