Amjad Khan (cricketer, born 1980)
A fast bowler who switched national allegiances, he remains the only Danish-born cricketer to play a Test match for England.
Born 1980 (age 46)·Danish-British cricketer·Birthday: October 14·Generation X
Biography
Amjad Khan's cricketing journey is a tale of two nations and a testament to raw pace. Born in Copenhagen to Pakistani parents, he moved to England as a teenager, his talent for bowling fast immediately catching the eye in the Kent academy. His career was a battle with injuries, but at his peak, he was a genuinely quick and aggressive seam bowler. The pinnacle came in 2009 when, having qualified on residency, he was selected for England in a Test against the West Indies in Trinidad, taking a wicket with his 18th ball. That same year, he also played a T20 international for England. Yet, his international story had a second act: in 2019, he returned to play for the country of his birth, Denmark, in T20 internationals, bringing his hard-won experience to a developing cricket nation. Parallel to his sporting life, Khan pursued a legal career, qualifying as a barrister, showcasing a discipline that extended far beyond the boundary rope.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Amjad was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Amjad Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Amjad's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Earned a Test cap for England in 2009, taking the wicket of Devon Smith in Port of Spain.
- Represented Denmark in T20 International cricket, playing his first match for them in 2019.
- Took over 250 first-class wickets in a county career spanning Kent and Sussex.
- Achieved the rare feat of playing international cricket for two different nations (England and Denmark).
Did You Know?
He is the first and only Danish-born cricketer to play Test cricket for England.
He holds a law degree and is a qualified barrister in England and Wales.
His first-class debut for Kent in 2001 was against the touring Australians.
He played club cricket in Denmark for Svanholm Cricket Club.
“I bowled fast because that's what I had, and I gave it everything.”
