Imran Tahir

Profile

Since his first-class debut in 1996-97, Imran Tahir has constantly been on the move. Starting with Lahore in Pakistan, to Titans in South Africa, he also went on to play for the English counties of Middlesex, Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Hampshire.

Throughout his career, Tahir, a legbreak googly bowler made sporadic appearances in each of these teams, which alone suggested that he failed to stick to one place for a longer time and did not live up to his own potential. However, his first-class record was impressive and that earned him a call-up to South Africa’s Test squad for their home series against England in 2010. But, on the same day the decision to include him in the side was overturned as it was found that Tahir was not eligible to play for South Africa then.

The Pakistan-born leg-break bowler was clearly out of the national side, but his stints at the domestic level continued as he was a successful bowler for the Dolphins. He was finally granted South African citizenship in 2011, before being picked for the ODIs against India. Tahir made his ODI debut against the West Indies in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and immediately shot to fame with his crafty leg-spins which helped him produce figures of 4 for 41. He kept striking in the tournament and scalped 14 wickets in five matches before a thumb fracture ruled him out of the competition. However, a Test debut came later in the year against Australia, and since then Tahir has been an integral part of South Africa’s bowling department, transforming himself into the team’s spin mainstay.

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Career

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