Tahir calls time on ODIs
Proteas slow bowler Imran Tahir will call time on his international ODI career after the World Cup in England to make way for younger spinners.
Tahir‚ 39, who together with JP Duminy and Chris Morris were not offered new contracts recently‚ said the decision was the biggest of his life and came after he reached a mutual agreement with Cricket South Africa (CSA).
“I have always wanted to play at the World Cup and it will be a great achievement for me to do that for this great team‚ but we had a mutual understanding with CSA‚” he said.
“I would have liked to play as long as I could but there is a stage in your life where you have to take a big decision and this is definitely the biggest decision of my life.
“I also think that there are a couple of spinners in the country who deserve the opportunity.
“If I have a great World Cup‚ I will be grateful to God. but I have made up my mind.
“I always wanted to finish after the World Cup and I am contracted until then.
“After that CSA will allow me to go wherever I want to play in other leagues around the world and I also want to play T20 cricket for South Africa because I have the ability and can still make a contribution.
“This move will give me opportunities to play T20 cricket around the world and I also want to give back what I have.
“I am grateful for what I got from CSA and that’s where we are at the moment.”
The right-arm leg spinner claimed three wickets for the Proteas in the convincing eight wickets of Sri Lanka in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Tahir‚ who has played 95 ODIs and claimed 156 for the Proteas since he made his debut against the West Indies in 2011‚ said he was available to play T20 cricket for the team because he could still make a contribution in the shortest format of the game.
“If I play T20 cricket for the Proteas I can give a lot because it is a shorter format‚” he said.
“If I continue playing 50overs cricket‚ it is hard for guys like Tabraiz Shamsi‚ Aaron Phangiso‚ Shaun von Berg and Dane Piedt.
“There are a lot of guys in SA who need to be given opportunities.
“I don’t want to lose my spot now, but I need to work double the amount in the ODIs because they are younger than me.
“I just want to be honest‚ I didn’t want to leave but it is how it is.”
Meanwhile, Hashim Amla appears to have lost his starting place at the top of the Proteas ODI lineup with the World Cup a few months away.
Amla‚ who has played in 174 ODIs and scored 7,910 runs at an average of 49.74‚ has largely opened the batting with Quinton de Kock, but loss of form and the emergence of Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen have put his place in serous jeopardy.
The once indispensable batting mainstay was not part of the Proteas squad that started with an eight-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Johannesburg on Sunday and it remains to be seen if he will be recalled for the last two matches.
SA’s top five in Sunday’s win against Sri Lanka included De Kock‚ Hendricks‚ Faf du Plessis‚ Van der Dussen and David Miller‚ who did not get a chance to bat as the Proteas successfully chased down the 232 target they were set inside 39 overs.
Captain Du Plessis said Amla remained one of the most experienced campaigners in the team but competition for places had become fierce at the top of the batting order.
“If you look at the guys at the moment‚ Reeza and Rassie have had a fantastic season.
“In all formats they have been consistent and they deserve the opportunity to play and you then have myself‚ Quinny [De Kock] and David Miller,” he said.
“That’s probably your five best batters at the moment.
“Hash is a high-class player with experience but there is good competition for spots in the team.
“This is the squad for the first three games and we will see what happens in the last two matches.
“But if you look at the top five players it is probably the guys who have been consistent scorers.”–