Former Pakistan captain and ex-prime minister, Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for leaking state secrets. He has been in jail for almost five months, with the ex-cricketer claiming he is imprisoned only for political reasons.
It is alleged that Khan has shared the contents of a cypher received by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC, United States. Khan claims the cypher’s contents included proof for a conspiracy to take him down, which was planned by the US government and Pakistan military. Although he claims he has never shared it with anyone, the Federation Investigation Agency claims he had shared the contents.
Khan and his deputy, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, have been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. He had earlier been arrested on corruption charges, with a 3-year prison term but that was suspended by the courts. He was still kept in prison due to the cypher case.
Imran Khan’s marvelous cricket career
Before Imran Khan delved into the world of politics, he was one of Pakistan’s most important cricketers. Born in 1952, Khan made his Test debut at the age of 19. Well known for his incredible bowling and batting skills, Khan was regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the world.
He made his first-class debut as a 16 year old, playing for Lahore. Just after his Pakistan debut, he left for England for his studies, enrolling in University of Oxford. After completing his studies and a county stint with Worcestershire, he returned to the Pakistan team and became a permanent member of the team.
At the start of his career, he was more of a medium pace bowler but he worked on his action. By the 1980s, he became one of the fastest bowlers in the world. His batting was crucial as well. In the 80s, he scored 2860 Test runs with an average of 46.13. His stats were equally good, with 264 wickets with an average of 19.38.
His ODI career was equally good, with the all-rounder averaging 33.41 with the bat and 26.62 with the ball. He played every World Cup from 1975 to 1992, captaining Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992 as a 40-year old. He retired after beating England in the World Cup finals.
More must-reads: