Imran Khan

Imran Khan (Mohammad Imran Khan Niazi; born November 25 1952), was a Pakistani cricketer (1971–1992) and captain of the Pakistani cricket team. He is currently a member of the National Assembly, the lower house of the Pakistani parliament.

Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team

Following turmoil in Pakistan leadership in early 1982, Imran took over the captaincy from Javed Miandad. Many who thought that this would adversely affect his cricket as had happened to Ian Botham, were skeptical about this move. But as was the case when he captained Oxford University, the extra responsibility helped him take his performances to a higher level.

Related Topics:
Pakistan - Javed Miandad - Ian Botham - Oxford University

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His first year as the captain was the peak of his career as a fast bowler as well as an all-rounder. Imran topped both the bowling and batting averages against England in the three test series in 1982, taking 21 wickets and averaging 56 with the bat. Later the same year, he devastated the formidable Indian batting on the flat Pakistani wickets by taking 40 wickets in six tests at an average of 13.95.

Related Topics:
England - 1982 - Indian - Pakistani

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By the end of the series against India in 1982-83, Imran had taken 88 wickets in 13 test matches over a period of one year. His career took a severe blow towards the end of the test series against India, as he suffered from a stress fracture in the shin that kept him out of cricket for more than two years. At one point during this period, he had been told by the doctors that he would never be able to bowl again, but an experimental treatment funded by the Pakistan government helped him recover by the end of 1984. He made a successful comeback in the later part of the 1984-85 season and took over the captaincy of Pakistan during the 1985-86 season.

Related Topics:
India - Pakistan government - Pakistan

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From 1985 to the early 1992, Imran led Pakistan to its first series win in England and India, as well as to three creditable draws against the West Indies. He was declared the "man of the series" for the series wins in England and India, as well as two of the drawn series against the West Indies, further strengthening his image of reaching his peak against the strongest opposition.

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As a captain Imran's focus was on taking a lot of responsibility on himself or "leading from the front" as he described it, thereby setting standards for others to follow. This was contrary to the widely accepted norm of a good captain being more of a strategic planner, like England's Mike Brearley. His approach was very successful in getting the best out of the younger players of the team and the Pakistani cricket team achieved unprecedented success during this period, despite not having as brilliant a set of players as in the 1970s or the 1990s. However, he was often criticized by some in the media, as well as a few former players for being "authoritarian".

Related Topics:
Mike Brearley - Pakistani

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Imran was also notable for being the first cricketer to argue fervently in favor of neutral umpires. He led the initiative by asking for neutral umpires for the homes series against West Indies in 1986-87 and 1990-91, as well as the home series against India in 1989-90.

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