Pakistan’s greatest cricketer turns 65

Pakistan legend Imran Khan, who lived in the hearts of the nation and fans across the world while he played cricket and still continues to command respect for his services as a politician , is celebrating his  65th birthday today (Thursday).

World Cup winning skipper was born on October 5, 1952 to a Pashtun family in Lahore and educated at Aitchison, Worcestor and Oxford.

He started playing cricket at the age of 13 at school level and later developed himself into a national cricketer. He made his debut for Pakistan at the age of 18 during the 1971 English series at Birmingham before retiring in 1992.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief also served as the national team's captain in 48 Tests and 139 One-day Internationals. He, notably, led Pakistan to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan's first and only victory in that competition.

A rare video of IK and boys playing cricket in north ; Imran Khan just loves to wander with his sons. #HappyBirthdayIK pic.twitter.com/JZ9Gd7wsgB

— Tehreek-e-Insaf (@InsafPK) October 4, 2017

He retired from the game in 1992 as one of Pakistan's most successful players. He was later, in 2010, inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In 1991, he launched a fundraising campaign to set up a cancer hospital in memory of his mother. He raised $25 million to set up the first hospital in Lahore in 1994, and later in 2015 a second hospital in Peshawar.

In April 2008, Khan established a technical college in the Mianwali district called Namal College. It became an associate college of the University of Bradford in December 2005.

Imran Khan remains a prominent philanthropist and served as the chancellor of  Bradford University between 2005 and 2014. He was the recipient of an honorary fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians in 2012.

In April 1996, Imran founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a centrist political party. He was elected a member of the National Assembly in 2002 and served as an opposition member from Mianwali until 2007. He was again elected to the parliament in the 2013 elections, when his party emerged as the second largest in the country by popular vote.