3 best moments of birthday boy Imran Khan at the Cricket World Cup
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan was among the few cricketers who mastered almost every skill possible in cricket. The cricketer-turned-politician started as an outstanding fast bowler who can give it a tonk with the bat in the lower order.
However, as his career went on, he became one of the best all-rounders the game has ever witnessed. Imran formed a golden era for all-rounders in the 1980s, with cotemporaries Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, and Ian Botham.
Yet, when he was at the fag end of his career in the 1992 World Cup, Imran was regarded as arguably the most inspiring captain and batted up the order for Pakistan. The Lahore-born cricketer was also the pioneer of reverse swing bowling, a weapon he instilled in Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, who mastered the art in the mid to late 1990s.
Imran Khan is among the few cricketers with a century and five-wicket haul in the same innings of a Test match, achieving the feat against India in 1983. During his illustrious career, the now 71-year-old won eight Player of the Series awards in Tests, which is fourth all-time.
Despite boasting incredible Test numbers with over 3,800 runs and 362 wickets in 88 games, Imran is fondly remembered for his white ball heroics, especially at World Cups.
A captain extraordinaire, the champion all-rounder was part of each of the first six World Cups, including playing the 1992 tournament at 39. While he will always be celebrated for instilling belief in a fragile Pakistan line-up and leading them to World Cup glory in 1992, his performances at the prestigious event are nothing short of sensational.
In 28 World Cup games, Imran scored 666 runs at an average of over 35 while picking up 34 wickets at a staggering bowling average of less than 20.
With the 2023 World Cup underway, it is only fair we celebrate one of the earliest World Cup heroes, Imran Khan, by reliving his best three moments at the showpiece event on his 71st birthday.
# 1 The fairytale finish at the 1992 World Cup
Imran Khan's 1992 World Cup final performance is what dreams are made of, with the Pakistan skipper leading from the front throughout the contest.
The talismanic all-rounder, who retired after a disappointing 1987 World Cup, was back at the helm, leading Pakistan one final time at the World event in Australia and New Zealand in 1992.
Following a disappointing start to their campaign, losing three of their first four games with one washout, Pakistan needed to win their next three games to qualify for the final. However, despite most fans and experts writing off the Men in Green, Imran led one of the great comeback stories in cricket history.
Pakistan won all three of their final league games and defeated co-hosts New Zealand in the semi-final. Imran scored a crucial 44 in the game as the side made it to the summit clash after being down in the doldrums.
In the grand finale against England, Imran batted at No.3 in an inspired move and scored a defiant 72 off 110 deliveries to lead Pakistan to a competitive 249/6 in 50 overs.
The legendary cricketer then made several astute moves, including bringing on a young Wasim Akram, who picked up back-to-back wickets to reduce England from 141/4 to 141/6 in the 35th over.
And finally, in a storybook ending, Imran picked up the final wicket of Richard Illingworth to cap off one of the most memorable cricketing careers and winning Paksitan their solitary ODI World Cup trophy.
# 2 Dragging the side out of trouble with his lone World Cup century in 1983
Following no-shows with the bat in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, Imran Khan began the 1983 campaign as a man on a mission, scoring a crucial 56 in Pakistan's opening win against Sri Lanka.
However, the side lost their next two games against New Zealand and England to find themselves in a precarious must-win situation entering their second matchup against the Lankans.
On a seamers paradise, Pakistan endured the wrong end of the toss and was soon reduced to 35/3 batting first. With the World Cup dream slipping away, the lanky all-rounder produced a stunning rearguard action with an unbeaten 102 off 133 deliveries.
Imran's knock took Pakistan from dead waters at 43/5 to 235/7 in their 60 overs. The skipper then led the side manfully in the bowling innings to ensure Pakistan kept their semi-final hopes alive with a thrilling 11-run victory.
# 3 Back-to-Back four-wicket hauls in the 1987 World Cup
Although Pakistan triumphed in 1992, the home World Cup in 1987 may have been their most consistent showing in the tournament. Led by Imran Khan, the Men in Green won five of their six group-stage matches and finished on top of Group B.
Following wins in the opening two games, Pakistan were up against two-time World Champions and three-time World Cup finalists West Indies in their next outing.
However, Imran Khan showcased his complete repertoire by dismissing his opposite number and superstar batter, Vivian Richards, for 51 before removing the tail with incredible reverse-swing bowling.
He finished with figures of 4/37 to restrict the intimidating West Indian batting to a mere 216. In reply, Pakistan chased the score down off the final ball with a wicket to spare to pull off a riveting victory.
In the subsequent fixture, Imran was at it again with the ball in hand against another formidable opponent in England.
The legendary all-rounder picked up another four-wicket haul, including dangermen Graham Gooch and Allan Lamb, to keep the English down to 244/9 in 50 overs.
Pakistan hunted down the target with seven wickets to spare and booked their place in the semi-final, with Imran being awarded the Player of the Match.