Imran Khan: The Cricketer, The Celebrity, The Politician Paperback – 6 Aug. 2009

Having been named after Imran in 1986 (thanks to my infatuated aunt) I have always resented the man. Every time I seemed to introduce myself to people of a certain age they would inevitably bring up the famous cricketers name and ask me if I play cricket (which I didn't play nor follow).I never really took an interest in cricket until last year when I started playing with my colleagues in a local tournament. We lost heavily in our opening match but we decided to have regular nets sessions. I seemed to have a natural aggressive ability with the bat (as I always go after the ball using my footwork). Bowling was difficult. I was receiving sound advice from my team mates regarding line and length but it just resulted in mediocre performances (we also lost the following 4 matches). The 6th match however was the turning point. The captain didn't trust me to bowl and the opposition were cruising to victory. Midway through their innings, I insisted that I bowl. There was a new surge of pace and I had an idea of tilting the seem to obtain a deviation from my usual straight delivery. To cut a long story short, I managed to get 10 wickets in 3.5 overs for 4 runs. We won the match by 2 runs. I was compared favourably to Imran Khan by the opposition.I had caught the cricket bug. I have been googling bowling and batting techniques ever since (where I learned that I had unwittingly been using swing bowling in our first victory). I decided to learn about Pakistan's (apparent) greatest cricketer which led me to this autobiography.I would echo the comments already made by previous posters. It's a brilliant read about a truly fascinating individual. I was very pleased with the detailed description of the nuances of the cricket styles and techniques but was surprised to learn about Imran's character and his strong morals. This is the first time that I have ever felt proud of being named after Imran Khan.

Christopher Sandford has done an excellent and thourough job with a fascinating and sometimes contradictory subject matter - The Lion of Lahore. He takes us through Imran's early cricket career, Oxford, Worcester, Sussex and never fails to add some fruity quotes to lighten the narrative. Imran's legendary love life which may seem incongruous now with the heavyweight politician who tours the world. I particularly like Sandford's diverse sources which add so much to the tale of this Pakistan legend - who else could have invited a young artist to watch him play, march off to see how her painting of him was materialising only to find she had painted a scene by the Pavilion - as Sandford notes mischieveously - it didn't last long...He covers in depth Imran's phenomenal test career , captaincy and the in fighting, the World Cup win in 92, the Cancer Hospital, his marriage to Jemima (who is quoted) and lastly and of great interest his political career which Sandford notes hasn't quite lived up to expectation. But for me it is the insight into the character that makes this a compelling read - a touch serious, loyal, contradictory, gravitas, cachet, charismatic, father, Imran is always on the go - a driven man. Perhaps this was why his uncompromising lifestyle meant that marriage was not an easy bed fellow.The diverse sources make this a great addition to Ivo Tennant's book and there are some alternate takes to Imran's own versions in his 2 autobiograhies.Will he become President of Pakistan - who knows but don't discount anything Imran puts his mind to.Recommended.

Khan was a charismatic sexy leader who led Pakistan to victory in 1992 worldcup final. Without a doubt he is the biggest white women lover star Pakistan has ever produced. He was not just a legend himself but a legend maker."I had a westernised education which removed me from islam" I.Kahn

If you want to know real IK .......read this biographyThe biographer very intelligently explain to paint the true picture about Imran khan especially when there is chance that the reader would either tilt in favor or against him

Legend

Thanks

Good condition! Pleased with it

This book is written well and is thoroughly engaging. There will be lots of chortles for the reader along the way as the author certainly has wit. And plenty of it! The actual narratives of Imran's life are well researched with plenty of first-hand experience from the author. So why have I given the book four stars? Simply because I don't feel that the title correctly sums up the book. There is an enormous amount of detail about Imran's cricketing life but much less about Imran the politician. Though it is true that in order to understand the man, you have to understand his gameplan, I was hoping to find much more about Imran's political and religious thought and history here. However, for someone with a straight cricketing/sport bent of mind or someone who does not mind reading chunks about Imran's cricketing exploits (they are to be honest, narrated exceedingly well) then this book would be the ticket more than any other. In fact if anyone wants to understand the world of Pakistan cricket, then look no further. As a cricket biography it is brilliant. If the title had been: "Imran Khan: the cricketer politician" then this volume would easily be flying off the shelves at five stars.