Birthday special: Imran Tahir – Five best bowling spells from the leggie

Imran Tahir will turn 42 on 27 March 2021. The Pakistan-born South African is undoubtedly the best spinner to have played for Proteas. He ended with 57, 173 and 63 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively. He even has 80 wickets in the IPL, a tournament which he is still a part of. On his birthday, we look back at his best spells during his illustrious career:

5) 7-45 vs West Indies, Basseterre, 2016 (ODI)

This spell by Imran Tahir came at the time when his team needed it the most. Playing in a tri-series game against West Indies, South Africa posted a huge target for the hosts. Chasing 344, the hosts had a terrific start and were at 58 for no loss after six overs, when Tahir came into the attack. He broke the opening stand in just his second over. Captain AB de Villiers used him smartly bringing him on when the team needed wickets. West Indies were four wickets down when he struck again. He derailed their run-chase by picking back to back wickets. Tahir picked all the six wickets which fell after that ending with career-best figures of 7 for 45.

4) 4-12 vs Delhi for Chennai, 2019 IPL

The 2019 season of the IPL was a special one for Imran Tahir. He was the highest wicket-taker in the entire tournament with 26 scalps. His best figures in that season came during a match against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Chennai Super Kings batted first and put on 179 runs on the board to present a tricky challenge for the visitors. In reply, the spinners tightened the screws on the chase making it impossible for Delhi to chase down the score. Tahir picked up four wickets and made sure that Chennai won the match comfortably, bowling out Delhi for just 99 runs.

3) 5-24 vs New Zealand, Auckland, 2017 (T20I)

For any spinner bowling at Eden Park in Auckland can be a nightmare. Short boundaries don’t allow them to settle down. And if it is a T20I match, then seldom you will see bowlers being spared, leave alone spinners. The boundaries are so short that even mishits from batsmen can sail over. However, one evening during a T20I match between New Zealand and South Africa, Tahir spun his magic web to get five Blackcaps wickets. Chasing 186 runs, the hosts got bowled out for just 107. They were never in the chase and once Tahir started picking up wickets, the match kept going more and more away from their reach.

2) 5-45 vs West Indies, Sydney, 2015 World Cup

Having posted a total of 408, the match was already well in South Africa’s control when Tahir came to bowl. But the way he foxed the West Indies batters had a lesson or two for young spinners. He kept bowling in good areas and the Caribbean batsmen just couldn’t handle the mastery of Tahir. Having picked up two four-fers in the 2011 edition, this effort ended up being Tahir’s only ever five-for in World Cups. His spell restricted West Indies for 151 runs and made sure they got battered against the Proteas.

1) 5-32 vs Pakistan, Dubai, 2013 (Test)

Imran Tahir’s red-ball career doesn’t have a lot of performances that can be looked back at. But, this particular spell is something that would make any bowler happy. After losing a toss on day one, a captain can generally hope that his bowlers will try and keep things tight. But Tahir bowled a spell that didn’t just derail Pakistan’s hope of getting a good score but also their chances of winning the Test. His effort restricted Pakistan for just 99 in their first innings and eventually helped South Africa win the match by an innings and 92 runs. Tahir also picked up three wickets in the second innings.