Batting for Imran Khan - Why Pak cricketers are backing iconic skipper for PM
As opener Fakhar Zaman was re-writing record books in faraway Zimbabwe last week, newsrooms back home in Karachi were reluctant to put the breaking news on air. In normal times, the left-hander would have been put on a pedestal and become the toast of the nation.
But certainly not right now.
These are extraordinary times in the history of Pakistan – and the only cricketer in the news is 'kaptan' (skipper) Imran Khan. In the age of hashtags, #FakharEPakistan can wait, it is #VoteForKaptan and #BehindYouSkipper which are trending non-stop as the country goes to polls Wednesday.
"The biggest heartthrob. Suave, erudite and monstrously talented, he gave cricket in the subcontinent real sex appeal in the 1970s and 1980s" are the first few lines mentioned in Khan's profile on popular cricket website Cricinfo.
Few would disagree.
The 'playboy cricketer', who inspired Pakistan to a sensational victory in the 1992 World Cup, could be the next Prime Minister of his country.
"Imran is a changed man now. Aaj ke Imran mein zameen aasman ka farak hai (there's a huge difference between today's Imran and that of yesteryears) There are different stages in everyone's life. He had devoted himself completely to the people of Pakistan in the last 20 years," former skipper Javed Miandad told DailyO from Karachi.
"The reason why everyone is talking about Imran right now is they know he is a great leader. He proved that on the cricket field – and he is doing it on the political pitch too. Cricket teaches you a lot, including siyasat (politics), how shrewdly you use your bowlers, move the fielders or plan the chase, each and everything," Miandad adds.
Miandad has known Khan closely since the early 1970s when both played against each other in domestic cricket tournaments. The bond grew stronger in the 1975 World Cup and the decades that followed. When the enigmatic Pathan decided to open Pakistan's first cancer hospital in Lahore after his mother's death, it was Miandad who jumped in to help his former colleague.
"Imran is admired not just for his leadership qualities but also for being quite well educated. He studied at Oxford and could have easily spent a comfortable life after a glorious career in cricket. But he wanted to bring a change in the country and its system. This cancer hospital is his biggest achievement. I remember how I went with him through the length and breadth of the country, asking people for funds for the construction of the hospital. People like him and Edhi Sahab (Abdul Sattar Edhi) are difficult to find."
Khan's former colleagues, including fast bowling partners Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, have also openly extended their support to him.
"It was in your leadership that we became world champions in 1992. It is in your leadership that we can again become a great democratic country. Let's vote for kaptaan (captain) for a naya (new) Pakistan," Akram tweeted a few days ago.
"You have got what it takes, skipper, but it will take everything you have. No one can doubt your honesty and that's what is required in our country, a honest leader. We are behind you, skipper," Younis said on Twitter.
Having always batted for a series between IPL and Pakistan Super League (PSL) winning teams, Javed Afridi, owner of Peshawar Zalmi, is also hoping that Khan emerges winner in the general elections.
"We support Imran Khan for he believes in the genuine emancipation of the poorest of the poor. He has promised to eradicate corruption and also that, under his rule, the image and respect of the green passport will be restored in the world," Afridi told DailyO.
Also read: Imran Khan, Pakistan's 'PM select'