Top 5 spells by Imran Tahir
When we talk about late bloomers in cricket, South African spinner Imran Tahir has to be one of the first names that come to mind. He made his debut at the 2011 World Cup when he was nearing 32 and is still going strong in his late 30s.
Tahir is South Africa’s 8th highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 139 wickets and also their 2nd highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 58 wickets. He also has 57 Test wickets to his name.
Today, Tahir will be turning 39. So, on the occasion of his birthday, let’s take a look at his five best bowling spells across formats:
#5 5/32 vs Pakistan at Dubai, 2013
It was the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan at Dubai in October 2013. Pakistan had taken a 1-0 lead in the series by winning the first Test at Abu Dhabi. Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first.
The Pakistani batting stood no chance against the brilliant googlies by Tahir and were bundled out for just 99 with the spinner taking 5/32, his maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket. South Africa scored 517 in their first innings thanks to Graeme Smith’s 234 and AB de Villiers’ 164.
In the second innings, Tahir took another three wickets as Pakistan were dismissed for 326, giving South Africa an innings victory with the series ending in a 1-1 draw.