PTI leader Imran Khan turns 70 today. In celebration of the cricketer-turned-politician, here are seven interesting facts about Pakistan’s kaptaan.
1. Renowned Family Lineage
Born to Ikramullah Khan Niazi and Shaukat Khanum on 5 October 1952, Imran Khan is the only son in the family with four sisters — Aleema, Rani, Uzma, and Rubina Khanum. Khan’s family has a renowned lineage.
His paternal family is of Pashtun ethnicity, from the Niazi tribe, and are descendants of Sher Shah Suri’s leading general and governor of Punjab, Khwas Khan Marwat
His mother was a descendant of the Sufi warrior-poet and inventor of the Pashto alphabet, with several cricketers on her side of the family.
2. Cambridge Rejected His Admission Application
Khan studied at the prestigious Aitchison College before moving to England. What most people don’t know is that he had originally wanted to study at the University of Cambridge. However, Cambridge had turned down the future kaptaan.
Khan, instead, enrolled in Keble College at the University of Oxford to study philosophy, politics, and economics. He later joined the Royal Grammar School (RGS) Worcester where people took note of his cricketing skills.
3. Impressive Numbers & Records in Cricket
When it comes to cricket, people nowadays only remember Khan for helping Pakistan lift the 1992 ICC World Cup in Australia.
Besides this, he is considered to be one of the all-time greats of the game, and his stats speak volumes about his cricketing talent.
Let’s take a look at some of his records:
- Only Pakistani with the ‘Most Man of the Series Awards’ (TEST): 8.
- Second-best all-time ‘Bowling Figures in an Innings by a Captain’ (TEST): 8/60 (20.1 overs).
- All-time ‘Best Bowling Figures for a Losing Side’ (ODI): 6/14 (10 overs).
- The First Pakistani Captain to Defeat England on Home Soil (test): Lord’s, 1982.
Khan finished his career with a bowling record of 362 wickets in 88 tests, 182 wickets in 175 ODIs; and a batting record of six centuries in tests, as well as a century in an ODI.
4. Journalist
Before turning to politics, Khan also worked as a writer for various distinguished newspapers. After a 21-year-long career in cricket, Khan went on to write several cricket opinion pieces for British and Asian newspapers. His articles were published by The Guardian, Outlook, Telegraph, and The Independent.
5. Founder of Pakistan’s First Cancer Treatment Facility
One of the reasons why the Pakistani awaam admires Imran Khan is his drive to help them.
After years of hard work and raising funds of around $25 million, the PTI leader established Pakistan’s first cancer treatment facility — the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre — in Lahore on 29 December 1994.
6. Chancellor of the University of Bradford
Khan’s passion for education led him to become the chancellor of the University of Bradford in 2005.
7. Pakistan’s Second Cricketer to Become Prime Minister
After years of political struggles, Khan became the 22nd Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan on 17 August 2018. Many people consider him the first sports or cricket personality to hold office in Pakistan but that’s not the case. Technically, he is the second cricketer to become Pakistan’s premier.
That honor goes to PML-N leader, Mian Nawaz Shariff, who played just one First Class match where he went out on a duck. Ironically, he has his own stats page on ESPNCricinfo, thus making him the first cricketer to become Pakistan’s PM.
We wish Imran Khan a happy birthday. Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
He also hold a Master Degree in U-TURNs