Tahir targets T20 World Cup

THE leading wicket-taker for South Africa at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Imran Tahir, has closed the curtain on his One Day International career.

Tahir, pictured, who was born in Pakistan and moved to South Africa for love in 2006, bagged 11 wickets for the Proteas at the tournament.

In an email interview, Tahir told the POST that the loved playing for the Proteas and would be available for the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.

“That will be my immediate focus. Hopefully, I can continue to make an impact in the T20 format and at the ICC T20 World Cup.”

He took 173 wickets in 107 ODI matches for SA.

Tahir said the moments he treasured most were not on the field, but sharing a dressing room with the likes of Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla. The 40-year-old added that he had also set his sights on coaching “to give back to the sport someday. “We have a lot of talented spinners coming through the ranks, and if an opportunity comes sometime later in my career, coaching would definitely be an option.”

He is currently playing for Surrey County Cricket Club in London with his first match on Friday. “I will be playing in the T20 Blast for Surrey. Our first match is against Essex, and I am scheduled to also play in the Euro T20 league after the T20 Blast.”

Tahir relocated to SA and married his Durban-born wife, Sumayya Dildar, with whom he has a four-year-old son, Gibran. His father-in-law, Gora Dildar, said he was proud of Tahir and looked forward to him being around more often. Tahir is expected to return to SA next month.