ICC World T20 2016: Imran Tahir offers a unique take on South Africa's knockout woes
A lot has been said about South Africa’s history of faltering at the knockout hurdles during ICC events. Dispelling the myth of choking at major matches, leg-spinner Imran Tahir has claimed that reaching the semi-finals is a huge achievement in itself.
Rediff reported the 36-year old sharing his thoughts on the Proteas’ inability to crack the knockout code. Tahir asserted, “I think I feel good as a South African player that people say that we always get into the semi-final and lose. This is one of the biggest achievements to get into semifinal. Not many teams do that. For me, it's a real achievement.”
When questions veered towards whether South Africa could finally break the jinx and claim a world title, the Lahore-born cricketer enthused, “We are looking at every game and take it from there. We work hard and we will get the results.”
The Proteas are coming into the tournament on the back of an impressive run in T20Is with 8 wins in their last 12 games. One of the highlights was a 2-0 T20 series victory against India away from home.
Nowadays cricket has changed: Tahir
Widely expected to be the key man for the African nation on pitches which suits his style of play, Tahir implied, “We have been playing good T20 cricket. We have won eight out of 12 games. Hopefully, we are going to do well in the World Cup.”
Hoping to use their previous tour to India as a learning experience, he added, “It was a big help for us. We played here, so we know the conditions a little bit better. We come here for the World Cup. So, we (are) quite lucky the tour went well and we won. So that confidence, we will bring into the World Cup.”
Eager to make a mark on the competition with his assortment of deliveries, an excited Tahir intended, “Look it is an absolute honor to play for your country at the world event. It gives an extra boost. It is extra special. I think there is nothing extra on my mind, just another game for me. If I get the opportunity, (I will) play well and give my 200 percent.”
Even though wrist-spinners can be quite a handful in the shortest format of the game, the seasoned campaigner remained wary on the impact of his brethren. He noted, “Look leg spinners can change the game. The off-spinners' job is to contain, for me, leg spinners need to have a bigger heart than anyone else because it is easy to blame them. Nowadays cricket has changed. Obviously, the bats are bigger, boundaries are shorter.”