As captain, Imran was almost dictatorial, but also stood by his players. He commanded fierce loyalty from his team. Replicating that performance as Pakistan 's PM will be tough, especially since Imran will have to deal with the army, but as his fans know, he's never shied away from challenges.

A self-confessed admirer, at least of Imran the player, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar says of Imran in his book, 'Imperfect', "I could find no fault with Imran Khan Niazi. He had me even before hello. Those were the days when the Pakistan team was notorious for fielding thirteen men against the opposition - Shakoor Rana and Khizer Hayat or any of their two local umpires providing them great support. But Imran said, 'No more'. And in that big series against India, he single-handedly ensured we had neutral umpires." Manjrekar writes, "Captaining a team known for rustic behaviour, he would become the biggest rascal of them all. His cursing was a big part of his cricket ... It was a sight to behold when he let it rip at himself or his team in the language of the common Pakistani."

He also narrates an anecdote on how Imran would micro-manage the team. "A young bowler once stood at the top of his run and didn't run in right away. After a few seconds passed, Imran shouted at him from mid-on, 'Why aren't you bowling?' The reply was: 'You didn't tell me what to bowl.'

