Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan had his birthday today! So you think you know everything there is to know about him? Think again! test your knowledge as we share some lesser-known facts about Pakistan’s favorite cricketer.
1. Imran Khan has two birthdays! An official and an unofficial one. While his actual birthday is on the 5th of October 1952, the Pakistan Cricket Board officials mistakenly wrote 25th November 1952 on his passport. Thus, there are still documents in existence that have the wrong date on them! So now that you know, make sure to wish him on the right one!
2. Even Imran Khan couldn’t escape petty crime in Pakistan. While on a trip with his children in Islamabad, he was looted at gunpoint. The car driven by the criminals overtook his vehicle and snatched his mobile phone, credit card, and camera.
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3. Imran Khan hails from an illlustrious family background, with several notable people in his family tree. They include two former Pakistani national team captains: Javed Burki and Majid Khan. Both of whom are his elder cousins. He’s also related to Haibat Khan Niazi, who ‘was one of Sher Shah Suri‘s leading generals, as well as being the governor of Punjab in the 16th century’.
4. Khan broke his left hand in school when he fell off a tree. The injury caused him pain but never a hindrance in his career since he didn’t use the left hand to bowl. However, he faced issues in batting and had to practice rigorously to overcome the pain.
5. Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto were students at Oxford University at the same time. Imran Khan is one of 6 Pakistani politicians who have been to Oxford. He joins the ranks of Benazir Bhutto, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Liaquat Ali Khan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Wasim Sajjad.
6. Did you know that in 1971 Imran Khan was a part of the West-Pakistani under 19 team? He went to Bangladesh (at the time East-Pakistan) for a cricket match. On the day that the 1971 war began, he was on the last flight that came back to West Pakistan.
7. Fun Fact: Once in 1987, Nawaz Sharif, (then the chief minister of Punjab), appointed himself captain of the Pakistan team for a warm-up match against West Indies. He walked out to open the batting against one of the greatest fast bowling attacks in cricket history, wearing ‘batting pads, a floppy hat – and a smile.’ Imran quickly inquired if there was an ambulance ready.
8. Imran Khan had announced his retirement from International cricket after the conclusion of the 1987 World Cup. However, Pakistan’s President Gen Zia-ul-Haq asked him to return to lead the team. Imran accepted his offer and went on to lead the team to their first ever Cricketing World Cup Victory in 1992.
9. Inspired by Dennis Lillee. In 1972, he watched Dennis Lillee bowl and that’s when he decided to be fast. It was the first time he’d seen a genuine fast bowler in action, and the rest was history!
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Areesha Khan harbours a burning passion for writing. This is what she has to say for herself:
I’m your average Pakistani Millennial who loves binge watching trash-TV. When I can, I try to widen my horizons and watch profound works of cinematography as well. In the wild, I can be found sniffing my weathered paperbacks. I regularly obsess over true crime (much to the chagrin of my friends) and love discussing it unprompted. I’m currently working on my undergrad and would love to have a profession in print media.
View my Portfolio: https://areeshakhancontentwriting.journoportfolio.com/
Come say HI on Twitter: @AKhanWrites
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