South African leggie Imran Tahir retires from ODI cricket
South Africa’s premier leg-spinner and the No.4 ODI bowler in the world, Imran Tahir called time on his one-day international career after his team’s 10-run win over Australia on Sunday. The Proteas, who were reeling at the bottom of the points table, managed to exit the World Cup with 7th points on the points table.
Tahir announced his retirement on his Twitter page on the eve of South Africa’s final league fixture.
Quite an emotional moment that I will be stepping on to the field one last time for an odi for @OfficialCSA wholeheartedly thanking everyone who stood with me during my entire career and special thanks for @OfficialCSA to make my dream a reality.Will give it all I have tomm
— Imran Tahir (@ImranTahirSA) July 5, 2019
In a glorious career spanning 8 years, the veteran leg-spinner has plied his trade for over 30 different teams across countries including Pakistan, England, India and South Africa. In 107 ODIs for South Africa, he has picked up 173 wickets at an average of 24.83 with 3 five-wicket hauls and 7 four-wicket hauls.
On the field, the 40-year-old is known for being a wildly expressive character with a long, ecstatic celebration that involves running around the ground after taking wickets. His mastery of the googly and the variations up his sleeve often made him a force to reckon with in the limited-overs format.
After South Africa’s emphatic win over Australia, Tahir spent some time with fellow teammate Tabraiz Shamsi and Sri Lanka’s Jeffrey Vandersay on the field.
Absolute Legend @ImranTahirSA …will gladly be number 2 behind you for another 3 years if need be!
Gonna miss having you around and learning from you all the time https://t.co/43b6gtisSr
— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) June 28, 2019
It Was an absolutely thrilling experience to be learning and bowling a few deliveries along side with you @ImranTahirSA
Thank you for the experience brother.
I wish you all the best for the rest of the games and for your future endeavors. Stay blessed always. https://t.co/XV9thRSGBv— Jeffrey Vandersay (@Vandersay) June 28, 2019
