[1] Hailing from Burki tribe of Pashtuns, Khan belongs to a famous cricketing family, with his grandfather Jahangir Khan having represented India before the independence of Pakistan in 1947 and his father Majid (both of whom were Cambridge Blues), and uncles Imran Khan (the former Prime Minister of Pakistan) and Javed Burki having all captained Pakistan.
[3] With a combination of an orthodox technique in batting and a reliably calm temperament, Khan began playing for the Pakistani Under-19s at the age of just 15, and moved to England to finish his cricketing and academic education.
He played in the same Brighton College (where he studied between 1998 and 2000[4]) team as Matt Prior when they won 20 matches in 1999,[4] and also later played at the Marylebone Cricket Club.
Having enjoyed an excellent 2003–04 season, having averaged over 70, Khan was finally given his chance to shine for Pakistan in a triangular tournament early the following season.
In the 2004–05 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Khan scored 300 not out batting for Rawalpindi against Hyderabad.