Khan and able

A new book on Imranu00a0Khan is not just about cricket. It shows how the wily Pathan was wanton and wanted at the same time. Tiger Woods, take note

Being seen as a Paki in Oxford is no less hurtful than being called a nigger in southern California. In that, if not in their individual contribution to their respective sports, Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi has much in common with Eldrick Tont Woods, Tiger to the world. Both men made their mark in a white man's world. Where they differ though, is how they managed their frailties.



From a sunset wedding to a crash into a tree, Tiger Woods' marriage and reputation are in tatters as news of his transgressions tumble out. Christopher Sandford's biography titled, Imran Khan, shows how that never affected the Lion of Lahore, neither his name nor his authority over the faction-ridden, conservative, often mercurial Pakistan cricket team. He had turned pro, Sandford says, from the early years, in managing his loves and his life.

Imran had always been socially agile, Sandford writes, "and if it was a female and had a pulse, he pursued it."

Even in his Oxford days, "it wasn't unknown for Imran to attract a small harem of supporters to the ground for even the most insignificant fixture."

A colleague remembers that "on losing his wicket in one inter-college game, Imran strode straight out the back one, where a blonde in a sports car was waiting for him. He jumped in, and that was the last we saw of him for two days."u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

A former lover remembers Imran as "music and roses at night, pat on the bum in the morning" type. Another found him an "attentive, funny and charming partner, who nonetheless struck her as the kind who would hug you politely and then just stroll away once you broke up." "The words proved prophetic," Sandford writes.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

It was not for Imran to send secret text messages pleading mistresses to keep his affairs hidden. It's not for him to beg or plead or be humbled. Not even when a court ruled in favour of Sita White, his former lover and mother of his daughter Tyrian, in her paternity suit against Imran.

So where does this ferocity come from? Imran came from good stock, Sandford writes. "One winter some villagers reported that a leopard had been seen making off with their livestock. Imran's grand-uncle took three policemen with him and rode off to see what he could do. They spotted the leopard and his uncle began to approach, pistol in hand. All of a sudden, the leopard charged; his grand-uncle fired and missed, and the next minute the leopard was on him. He managed to ram his watch down the leopard's mouth as he tried to go for his jugular."

Imran's grand-uncle subsequently spent six months in a hospital with his injuries, but recovered and lived to be a 100.

No wonder such genes would see a man through a prickly pitch of life. And he also played cricket.

Imran Khan by Christopher Sandford. Published by Harper Collins. Priced at Rs 499, available at all leading bookstores