05/10/2026
There was a time when thousands, perhaps even millions, of people who had never imagined themselves bowling fast on baked, unforgiving pitches suddenly wanted to be Imran Khan.
They wanted that lithe, bounding run-up, the leap at the crease, and, most of all, that devastating reverse-swinging yorker.
Imran was more than just a great cricketer. His numbers put him right at the top of the legendary quartet of all-rounders who dominated Test cricket in the 1980s, alongside Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev. He finished with a Test batting average of 37.69 and a bowling average of 22.81. And his final decade in international cricket was even more remarkable — 51 Tests, averaging 50 with the bat and just 19 with the ball.
His ODI record was equally impressive: more than 3,700 runs at 33.41 and 182 wickets at 22.61.
But perhaps the biggest measure of Imran’s greatness came as a leader. He took Pakistan to their first major ICC title, lifting the 1992 World Cup in one of the most memorable triumphs in cricket history.
Today, the legendary Imran Khan turns 74.
So, on his birthday, here’s wishing one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever produced good health, strength and courage as he continues to face what are undoubtedly difficult times.
