Imran Tahir highlighted his extra work in the gym and raised intensity in training after his match winning 4-29 from seven overs against Afghanistan, writes DANIEL GALLAN in Cardiff.
The 40-year-old leg spinner picked up a wicket with his first ball – a ripping, dipping trademark googly that burst through the defence of opener Noor Ali Zadran – and bowled tight and disciplined lines that saw Afghanistan lose five wickets for just eight runs in a five over period.
It was a period of play that enabled the Proteas to take a stranglehold on proceedings on the way to their first victory in the competition.
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‘It’s a young team so you have to put in the work,’ Tahir said after the game. ‘The fitness standards are high. I want to play as well as I can and I don’t want to let the team down in the field or for people to say I’m just standing around. We all train hard. It is required playing with youngsters.’
Even at his age, Tahire remains an integral part of Faf du Plessis’ attack and he proved that again today. He celebrated all four of his wickets with the same exuberance demonstrated in each of his 343 previous international scalps.
This World Cup will be his 50-over swansong as he is stepping away from the format where is ranked as the world’s fourth best.
‘All my life my aim was to retire as a guy who earned respect and to go out on a high,’ he said. ‘I could stick around for another year or two as I believe I’m bowling well. But it’s important that other young spinners in South Africa get more games.’
Attention now turns to the Proteas next must-win encounter. Kane Williamson’s unbeaten New Zealanders await in Birmingham and Tahir is under no illusions that Wednesday will be a stiff challenge, not least because of the last time the two nations met at the World Cup.
‘That game will be at the back of our minds,’ Tahir said, referencing the 2015 dramatic semi-final, where he was on the losing side. ‘But it’s a new day. Both teams have changed. Both teams have a lot of young players. But we will be up for the challenge.’
