Famous Pakistani Sportspersons

Imran Khan is the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was in office from 2018 to 2022. He is also the founder and chairman of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Before making an entry into politics, Imran Khan was an extremely popular international cricketer who led Pakistan to its first ever Cricket World Cup title in 1992. As a philanthropist, he established Pakistan’s first cancer hospital in Lahore.

Wasim Akram is a Pakistani former cricketer, cricket commentator, and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He is counted amongst the finest exponents of reverse swing bowling. He became a commentator and coach following his retirement as a player. He is a recipient of the Pakistan Government’s Hilal-e-Imtiaz award. 

Inzamam-ul-Haq is a Pakistani former professional cricketer. During his career, he was the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in one-day internationals. He is also the only Pakistani batsman to score 20,000 runs in the international cricket arena. He captained the Pakistan national cricket team for a few years. He became a coach after retiring.  

Waqar Younis is a Pakistani former cricketer, commentator, and coach. During his playing career, he captained the Pakistan national cricket team. He played as a right-arm fast bowler and is still counted amongst the greatest bowlers to have played the game. He became a coach after his retirement and was once the head coach of the Pakistani cricket team. 

Though he had to undergo surgical treatment for hernia as a child, Jahangir Khan has begun playing squash by age 8 and later emerged as the greatest squash player not just in Pakistan but in the world, too. The former world number 1 is a 6-time World Champion.

Legendary Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas was often called the Asian Bradman. He became the first batsman from Asia to score 100 first-class centuries and the first from Pakistan to score 4,000 and 5,000 runs. He has been named to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and has received the Pride of Performance Award.

Babar Azam is a Pakistani international cricketer. Currently, he captains the Pakistan team in all formats. He is regarded as one of the best batsmen in contemporary world cricket. He holds the record for being the fastest to reach 2000 runs in T20Is. 

Known as the Little Master of Pakistan, Hanif Mohammad was perhaps the first international star of Pakistani cricket. He also scripted history by becoming the first Pakistani cricketer with a Test cricket triple hundred. While his brothers played cricket, too, his mother was a national badminton champion.

A world-renowned Indian pehlwan, or wrestler, Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt competed using the ring name The Great Gama. Also known as Rustam-e-Hind, he remained undefeated over an illustrious career of almost 5 decades and even saved many Hindus during the communal riots at the time of the Partition of India.

Shoaib Akhtar is a Pakistani former cricketer. A fast bowler, he was the first one to be recorded bowling at 100 miles per hour, a feat that earned him the nickname “Rawalpindi Express.” He is a controversial figure. He retired from international cricket in 2011. He now runs a YouTube channel and has appeared in a few TV shows. 

Shahid Afridi is a former Pakistani cricketer. An all-rounder with an aggressive batting style, he is widely considered one of the most destructive cricketers. He held the fastest ODI century record for 17 years before it was broken. He still holds the record for having hit the most sixes in the history of ODI cricket.  

Often tagged as the fastest man in squash, Pakistani squash star Jansher Khan was once world number 1. He did, however, find himself in the middle of many controversies, stemming from his arguments with the press and critics. Interestingly, he has begun playing squash at age 11.

Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricketer. He captained the Pakistan national cricket team from 2007 to 2009. He currently plays for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He holds the record for becoming the first male cricketer to play 100 T20Is. He is married to Indian tennis player Sania Mirza. 

Mohammad Amir is a Pakistani cricketer. He made his first-class debut in 2008 and ODI and test debuts the following year. His career came to a standstill following a spot-fixing scandal. He later returned to cricket but could never touch the heights of glory. He announced his retirement in 2020. He is married to a British citizen. 

Shaheen Afridi is a Pakistani cricketer and plays as a fast bowler. He represents the Pakistan national cricket team and also plays for franchise cricket teams like Dhaka Dynamites and Lahore Qalandars. He made his international debut in 2018

Mohammad Asif is a Pakistani former cricketer. He played for the Pakistani national cricket team between 2005 and 2010. At the peak of his career, he was counted amongst the top test bowlers. He became involved in a drug controversy that ruined his cricket career. He then tried to enter films but wasn’t successful. 

Sohail Abbas is a Pakistani former field hockey player. With 348 international goals under his belt, Abbas is the highest goal-scorer in the history of field hockey and is counted among the greatest players of all time. Nicknamed King of the drag flick, Sohail Abbas was renowned for his lethal drag-flicks, speed, and accuracy.

Misbah-ul-Haq is a former Pakistani cricketer and coach. He captained the Pakistani teams in test cricket and One Day Internationals (ODIs). He was a middle-order batsman best known for his composed playing though he was also capable of being an aggressive big shot player when required. He holds the record for the fastest fifty in test cricket. 

Apart from leading the Pakistani cricket team as its captain, cricketer/coach Younus Khan has also made quite a few records, including those of the most runs and most centuries by a Pakistani cricketer Test cricket. He was once banned for infighting, along with Mohammad Yousuf, but came back stronger than ever.

Sarfraz Ahmed is a Pakistani professional cricket player. He plays as a wicketkeeper-batsman for the Pakistani national cricket team. In the past, he has captained the Pakistani side in all formats. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017. He received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2018, becoming the youngest cricketer to be awarded this honor. 

Azhar Ali is a Pakistani professional cricket player and former captain of the national team in One Day International and Test cricket. In 2016, he became the first ever batsman to score a triple century in a day and night Test cricket. The same year, Azhar Ali also became the first Pakistani player to score two double-hundreds in a year.  

Born to a Pakistani cricket administrator, Umar Akmal later joined the Pakistani national cricket team. He was once banned by the PCB for his links to a spot-fixing scandal. In 2020, he was trolled on social media for mentioning how cricketer Abdul Razzaq was his mother from another brother

Saeed Anwar is a Pakistani former cricketer. He played international cricket between 1989 and 2003 and is considered one of the greatest opening batsmen Pakistan has ever produced. He scored 20 centuries in ODIs and 11 centuries in test matches. As a young man, he was also known for being a style icon in the sporting scene. 

Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani international cricketer. He plays for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. He started his international career in 2002 and made a name for himself as a quick-scorer. He is a highly productive batsman and was a part of the Pakistan team that won the T20 World Cup in 2009. 

Once one if the best off-spinners in world cricket, Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq introduced what is now known as the “doosra” form of delivery. He is also known for his decade-long association with the Pakistan International Airlines team. He also apparently invented the lesser-known “teesra” and “chotha” deliveries.

Ahmed Ali Akbar is a Pakistani actor and former tennis player. He is best known for his portrayal of Adeel Alam in the 2019 action crime thriller film Laal Kabootar for which he received the Best Film Actor award at the Lux Style Awards.

Mohammad Yousuf is a Pakistani former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Renowned for his batting skills, Yousuf scored 1,788 runs in Test cricket in 2006, a world record for the most number of Test runs scored in a year. In 2007, he was honored at the ICC Awards with the Test Player of the Year award.

Hashim Khan was a Pakistani professional squash player best remembered for winning the British Open Squash Championships on seven occasions between 1951 and 1958. He was honored by the Government of Pakistan with the Pride of Performance Award and Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam in 1958 and 1959 respectively. In 2008, Hashim Khan received Pakistan's third-highest honor, Sitara-i-Imtiaz.   

Pakistani former cricketer Abdul Razzaq was a talented all-rounder who has made several international records, such as that of being the world’s youngest cricketer to score a Test hat-trick. Often compared to former all-rounder Imran Khan, he had also played for the Hyderabad Heroes in the ICL.

Hailing from the Pakistani town of Swabi, which borders Afghanistan, cricketer Yasir Shah made his first-class debut for Pakistan at age 15 but was named to the national team only after 9 more years. He was once accused of raping a woman but was later found to be innocent.

Legendary Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan was equally proficient in tennis and swimming in childhood. Known as a dependable opening batsman, he later married Bollywood actor Reena Roy and acted in a few Hindi films, too, such as Batwara and Saathi, earning a Filmfare nomination for the former.

Currently a world-renowned cricket umpire, Aleem Dar is also a former Pakistani cricketer. He not only became the first from his country to be named to the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires but has also officiated in over 150 ODIs. He has also won Pakistan’s Pride of Performance award.

Retired Pakistani cricketer Rameez Raja was a star batsman and one of the most significant players of his team in the 1980s and the 1990s. He took the final catch in Pakistan’s World Cup-winning match in 1992. Post-retirement, he has mostly been seen as a cricket commentator.

Danish Kaneria scripted history when he became the second Hindu to play for the Pakistani national cricket team. At the time of his retirement, he was the highest wicket-taking Pakistani leg spinner. He was also involved in a spot-fixing controversy and was banned for life by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Azam Khan was a Pakistani squash player best remembered for winning the British Open Championships on four occasions between 1959 and 1962. In 1961, Azam Khan was honored by the Government of Pakistan with the prestigious Pride of Performance Award.

Wahab Riaz is a Pakistani professional cricket player who plays as a bowler for the men's national team. An important player for Pakistan in One Day International and Twenty20 International, Wahab Riaz gained international recognition after his all round performance in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.  

Hassan Sardar is a Pakistani former field hockey player best known for leading his team to win the gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Hassan Sardar also played an important role in Pakistan's gold medal-winning performances at the 1982 World Cup and Asian Games.

Mohammad Sami is a Pakistani former cricket player best known for his fast bowling skills. He represented the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats—One Day International, Test, and Twenty20 cricket—between 2001 and 2016. Mohammad Sami was considered one of the fastest bowlers of his generation.

With his towering 7’1” frame, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Irfan has scripted history as the tallest player to ever play first-class or international cricket. While he initially worked in a plastic pipe factory to support his family, he was soon scouted by former cricketer Aaqib Javed. He was later suspended for corruption.

Initially a promising cricketer, Salman Butt served the Pakistani national team as a left-handed opening batsman and also led the Pakistan Test team as its captain. He was, however, involved in the 2010 Lord’s spot-fixing scandal, which led to a 10-year ban by the PCB and 30 months in a London jail.

Rehan Butt is a Pakistani former field hockey player best known for winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in 2010. Renowned for his play-making skills, Butt represented his national team at two Hockey World Cups and two Olympic Games. In 2008, the Asian Hockey Federation named Rehan Butt the Best Asian Player.

Moin Khan is a Pakistani former cricket player who played as a wicket keeper-batsman. He represented the national cricket team in ODI and Test cricket between 1990 and 2004. After retiring as a player, Moin Khan served as the chief selector and head coach of the men's national team.

Abdul Khaliq was a Pakistani sprinter best remembered for winning 36 international gold medals for Pakistan. He also represented his country at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics. In the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, he won a gold, silver, and bronze medal. Abdul Khaliq also served the Pakistan military and participated in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and 1971.

Pakistani cricketer and opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad was 17 when he made his ODI debut against Australia. He was once in the midst of a controversy when he was clicked undressed with fellow cricketer Shahid Afridi in the dressing room. He has also been tagged as Pakistan's Virat Kohli.