IPL Match 19 in PICS: Jadeja’s All-round Heroics Powers Chennai to 69-run Win Over Bangalore
IN PICS: ICC World Cup 2019, South Africa vs Bangladesh, Match 5
IN PICS: ICC World Cup 2019, England vs South Africa, Match 1
In Pics: IPL 2019, Final: MI vs CSK
Imran Tahir has been an asset to South Africa in the last two years: Faf du Plessis
Video: Mumbai Indians edge out Chennai Super Kings to clinch record 4th IPL title
IPL 2019, Qualifier 2 Preview: Delhi Capitals square off against Chennai Super Kings for a place in maiden final
IPL 2019 Qualifier 1: Suryakumar Yadav takes MI to fifth IPL final
If you want a modern-day fairytale, look no further than Imran Tahir. He did not hail from a rich family, and had to work as a retail salesman in Pace Shopping Mall, Lahore. However, he did persist with cricket: inspired and coached by Abdul Qadir, he took to leg-spin, and made it to the Pakistan Under-19s squad for the 1996-97 tour of South Africa. He fell in love with one Sumayya Dildar there.
He played domestic cricket in Pakistan till the mid-2000s before having stints with both Middlesex and Yorkshire. He later played for Warwickshire and Hampshire as well. In between all this, he moved to South Africa and completed his four-year residence requirement in 2009, thus becoming eligible to represent the country — and married Sumayya.
He eventually made his debut in the 2011 World Cup, and from the very onset it was evident that he was special. He had a potent leg-break, had variations in pace and flight, but his most dangerous weapon was almost certainly the googly.
He lived up to his hype as a mystery spinner, taking 11 wickets from his first 3 matches. Unlike some others who bore that tag, Tahir retained that aura, troubling batsmen across the world with his incredible repertoire.
His most significant spell was his 4 for 45 in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final that knocked Sri Lanka out of the tournament. It was the first time in their history that South Africa won a knockout match in tournament. His World Cup record, 29 wickets from 13 matches at 16.31 and an economy of 4.06, bears testimony to his impact on the batsmen.
The next year he took 7 for 45 against West Indies at Basseterre, becoming the first South African to take 7 wickets in an ODI. These days he typically bowls the middle overs, putting a stranglehold on batsmen just when they decide to focus on singles.
He has spectacular T20I numbers too. Just like ODIs, he has reserved his best for the grand stage: from: his 9 World T20 appearances have fetched him 18 wickets at less than 12, and he goes for under 6 an over.
It took him six years since debut to zoom to ICC’s No. 1-ranked spot for bowlers in both ODIs and T20Is. He achieved the latter with 5 for 24 against New Zealand at Auckland in 2016-17, becoming the first South African spinner to take 5 wickets in a T20I.
His superlative performances won him plenty of offers from T20 overseas franchises, including three English counties, two IPL teams, and perhaps the sweetest of all — Lahore Lions, from the city of his birth.
Tahir has also attained cult status of sorts with his unique celebrations that involves running with a mission to perhaps reach the end of the world (thankfully, his colleagues prevent him every time), a quirk that gave rise to several internet memes. Despite his idiosyncrasies and the aggression of a fast bowler, Tahir remains an immensely popular man.
Perhaps the only glitch in his career has been his inability to eplicate his superlative limited-overs performances in Test cricket. He did have his moments (5 for 32 and 3 for 98 against Pakistan at Dubai in 2013-14, 2 for 23 and 4 for 48 at Mohali and 1 for 41 and 5 for 38 at Nagpur, both against India in 2015-16), but consistency has remained evasive.
Abhishek Mukherjee
Career | M | In | R | NO | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
Test | 20 | 23 | 130 | 9 | 29* | 9.285 | 235 | 55.31 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
ODIs | 107 | 36 | 157 | 16 | 29* | 7.850 | 225 | 69.77 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
T20s | 38 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 9* | 19.00 | 18 | 105.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
World Cup | 22 | 8 | 20 | 4 | 10* | 5.000 | 34 | 58.82 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Career | M | B | R | W | Avg | EC | SR | 5WI | 10WM | BBI | BBM |
Test | 20 | 3925 | 2294 | 57 | 40.24 | 3.506 | 68. | 2 | 0 | 5/23 | 8/130 |
ODIs | 107 | 5541 | 4297 | 173 | 24.83 | 4.653 | 32.02 | 3 | 0 | 4/12 | 4/12 |
T20s | 38 | 845 | 948 | 63 | 15.04 | 6.731 | 13.41 | 2 | 0 | 2/12 | 2/13 |
World Cup | 22 | 1151 | 847 | 40 | 21.17 | 4.415 | 28.77 | 1 | -- | 4/41 | 4/12 |
Test Debut
South Africa v Australia at Newlands, Cape Town, November 9, 2011
Last Test
India v South Africa at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, December 3, 2015
ODI Debut
South Africa v West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, February 24, 2011
Last ODI
Australia v South Africa at Old Trafford, Manchester, July 6, 2019
T20 Debut
Sri Lanka v South Africa at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, August 2, 2013
Last T20
South Africa v Sri Lanka at Newlands, Cape Town, March 19, 2019
RCB vs CSK, IPL 2022: Labelling the yellow camp as favourites, ex-CSK star Imran Tahir reckoned Chennai should not tinker with their ...
Imran Tahir and Noor Ahmad will be the center of attraction during the auction.
Tahir, the Lahore-born leg spinner who played his initial cricket in Pakistan, is currently in the country turning out for Multan ...
The Protea leg-spinner, who has so far taken four wickets in four matches for the Dambulla Giants in the Lanka Premier League, added ...
Both Faf du Plessis and Tahir, who weren't picked in South Africa's squad for the men's T20 World Cup, were ignored in a congratulatory ...
Tahir, currently playing in the Caribbean Premier League, has no plans to retire from international cricket. He is still passionate to ...
In a down and out situation that South Africa find themselves in right now, there could be no other than Faf du Plessis himself to sail ...
The South African team has lurched from defeat to defeat, their weaknesses clearly visible.
Cricket World Cup 2019: Top five spinners who can play a pivotal role for their respective teams in the showpiece event.
As Dhoni and Fleming pointed out during and after IPL 2019, CSK needs to re-think certain strategies.
There were several memorable spells across the season. We have picked the top-five
It was CSK, who denied DC a top-two spot in the league standing with a crushing 80-run win at the Chepauk, but this time DC might just ...
England vs South Africa - 1st Test
RSA 289/7 OVERS: 77.0
ENG 165 (45.0 Ovs)
SA lead by 124 runs
West Indies vs New Zealand - 2nd ODI
19 Aug, 2022 23:30 IST
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
West Indies vs New Zealand - 2nd ODI
19 Aug, 2022 23:30 IST | 18:00 GMT
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
20 Aug, 2022 12:45 IST | 07:15 GMT
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Netherlands vs Pakistan - 3rd ODI
21 Aug, 2022 14:30 IST | 09:00 GMT
Hazelaarweg, Rotterdam
West Indies vs New Zealand - 3rd ODI
21 Aug, 2022 23:30 IST | 18:00 GMT
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
22 Aug, 2022 12:45 IST | 07:15 GMT
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Ireland vs Afghanistan - 5th T20I
Ireland beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets (D/L method)
Ireland vs Afghanistan - 4th T20I
Afghanistan beat Ireland by 27 runs
Netherlands vs Pakistan - 1st ODI
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 16 runs
United Arab Emirates vs USA - Match 5
Match Abandoned
West Indies vs New Zealand - 3rd T20I
West Indies beat New Zealand by 8 wickets