Imran effect: Cricketers who led from the front in politics

One of the most successful skippers of the Indian cricket team, Mohammad Azharuddin, formally joined the Congress on 19th February 2009.

In the same year, he won the general elections from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh to become an MP.

He scored 6215 runs, with 22 centuries and 21 fifties in 99 Tests. In his ODI career, he scored a total of 9378 runs in 334 ODIs.

Azharuddin was allegedly involved in the match-fixing scandal in 2000, after a long period in wilderness he formally joined Congress.

Azhar's artistary with the bat was well known, in fact he faced Imran at his prime several time both at home and in Pakistan.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, known for his television appearances in comedy shows and funny metaphors made his debut for India in 1983 and represented the team in 136 ODIs.

The Punjab batsman played 51 Tests and scored 3,202 runs.After retirement, Sidhu turned to politics and joined the Bharatiya Janta Party in 2004. He was equally successful in the political arena and won the Lok Sabha elections twice.

Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell was a West Indies cricketer and Jamaican Senator.

Worrell played 51 Tests and scored 3,860 runs. He also played first-class cricket and scored 15025 runs.

Sri Lankan cricket captain turned politician Sanath Jayasuriya is known for his outstanding batting and match-winning performances in ODI cricket.

In his 445-match ODI career, he scored 13430 runs.He is the only cricketer who was an active politician during his playing days.

Sanath became an MP in 2010 from his native Matara.Jayasuriya shot into prominence as an opener in the 1996 World Cup which was jointly held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

His hard-hitting batting catpulated Sri Lanka into the World Cup final which his team won beating Australia in Lahore.

Wes Hall a Barbadian cricketer turned to politics after reteirement. In his career he played 48 Tests for the West Indies from 1958 to 1969.

Wes was known for his brutal bouncers and he took 192 Test wickets.

Arjuna Ranatunga, the former captain of Sri Lankan cricket team, had served as shipping minister in the Lankan cabinet.

Alec Douglas-Home is the only British prime minister to have played first-class cricket.

Douglas represented the Oxford University Cricket Club, Middlesex County Cricket Club and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

He played ten first-class matches, scoring 147 runs at an average of 16.33 with the best score of 37 not out.

Kirti Azad is a former Indian cricketer and three-term MP from Darbhanga in north Bihar. Like Imran in 1992, Azad was part of 1983 World Cup winning team.

He played 7 Tests and 25 ODIs from 1980 to 1986.He belongs to an influential political background, as he is the son of former chief minister of Bihar Bhagwat Jha Azad.