South African leggie Imran Tahir retires from ODI cricket

Imran Tahir

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.


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.