On This Day, October 5: Hardly anybody, certainly including Imran Khan, born today, would disagree when they called him the best cricketing machine Pakistan has produced and a darling heart-throb of its nation. His style and charisma inspired thousands of those who never fancied fast bowling to the Pakistani pitches but all wanted to be like Imran: kids everywhere emulated his run-up dynamic, his athletic leap, and that deadliest reverse-swinging yorker.
Excellent statistics are there in Imran’s impressive kitty telling a very impressive tale. With a batting average of 37.69 and a bowling average of 22.81, he became one of the most outstanding allrounders his generation ever witnessed, bracketed with Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, and Kapil Dev among others. In the 51 Tests he played over his last decade in international cricket, he lasted 50 overs and batted at an average of 50. He bowled with an average of 19. His one-day record is no less noteworthy, with scores of more than 3,700 runs at an average of 33.41 and 182 wickets at an average of 22.61.
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A match-winning, astute, and farsighted captain, Imran led Pakistan to its country’s history’s first-ever World Cup victory in 1992. Miraculously, he played almost no domestic cricket in Pakistan during his playing days; he would often fly in from his stints with Worcestershire and Sussex, or the more fashionable locales of London.
After cricket, Imran Khan became a great political leader, realizing his zeal for his country as public service. He still stands tall as a source of inspiration for millions after transforming from a cricketing icon to a political leader. We are meeting here today to celebrate his birthday, and while we welcome this celebration, we also remember not only the dynamic performance he achieved in cricket but also how well he left his mark for Pakistan and beyond.
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