Few people have reinvented themselves as totally and successfully as Imran Khan. The legendary cricket star, and international sex symbol, has claimed victory in the Pakistan elections, and expects to become Prime Minister of the Islamic power.
At 65, Khan's rise to the top political job has been marked by the same tenacity he displayed as his country's cricket captain. In striving for high office, he embraced Islam, courted the poor by railing against corruption and forged a pact with powerful military figures. His reward is to inherit the leadership of the world's sixth most populous nation in a geopolitical hotspot where militants wield influence.
Big challenges lie ahead for Khan. In the short term he must defeat claims of vote rigging and ballot-box manipulation to entrench his legitimacy. Domestically he needs runs on the board quickly to arrest his country's economic slide and repair its crumbling infrastructure.
He needs to rebuild relations with neighbouring India to seek a resolution to the disputed Kashmir issue, a flashpoint between the nuclear-armed countries.
Further afield, he needs to establish trust with the United States, despite being an outspoken critic of Washington's anti-terrorism measures, and forge ties with China, the other big player in Asia.
