Imran Tahir facts for kids

Mohammad Imran Tahir (born 27 March 1979) is a famous former international cricket player from South Africa. He is a spin bowler who mainly bowls "googlies." A googly is a special type of delivery that spins the opposite way to what a batsman expects. Imran Tahir also bats right-handed. He played for the South Africa team in all three main types of cricket matches.

Imran Tahir made history on 15 June 2016. He became the first South African bowler to take seven wickets in a single ODI match. He also reached 100 ODI wickets faster than any other South African, doing it in just 58 matches. He is known as South Africa's top spin bowler for taking the most wickets in both ODIs and T20Is.

In February 2017, Tahir quickly reached 50 T20I wickets, faster than any other South African. A month later, in March 2017, he bowled incredibly well against New Zealand. He took 2 wickets for only 14 runs in 10 overs, which was the most "economical" (meaning fewest runs given away) performance by a South African spinner in an ODI.

In October 2018, he achieved a hat-trick in an ODI. This means he took three wickets with three balls in a row. He was the fourth South African bowler to do this. In March 2019, he announced he would stop playing ODI cricket after the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Imran Tahir is also famous for his unique celebration after taking a wicket. He runs around the field, and fans call it "The Marathon." He has played for many different cricket clubs around the world. He even set a new record by playing for his eighth English county club, Surrey, in 2019.

Imran Tahir's Early Life and Journey

Imran Tahir was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1979. He learned to play cricket while growing up there. As the oldest child, he started working at age 16 to help his family. He was a retail salesman at a shopping mall, earning a small salary.

His life changed when he was chosen to play for the Pakistan Under-19 team. He then moved up to the Pakistan A side for some tours. However, he didn't quite make it to the main Pakistan national team.

Tahir later moved to South Africa, where there weren't many top-quality spin bowlers. He played domestic cricket there for five years. For the first two years, he lived "hand-to-mouth," meaning he had very little money.

Playing for Clubs and Teams

Imran Tahir has played for many different cricket teams around the world. Besides his first-class career in Pakistan, he also played for English county clubs. These include Yorkshire and Middlesex. He also played for Staffordshire in a smaller league.

He has played for a record number of English county clubs. These include Derbyshire, Durham, Hampshire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire.

Tahir became a resident of South Africa in 2005 when he was 26. He married Sumayya Dildar, a South African woman. After living in South Africa for four years, he became eligible to play for their national team in April 2009.

Key Club Achievements

Tahir was part of Hampshire's team that won the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy in 2009. He took 2 wickets for 50 runs in the final match. In August 2009, he scored his highest ever runs in a first-class match, getting 77 not out for Hampshire.

In 2010, Tahir played for Warwickshire. He then returned to play for Hampshire until 2014. He played his 100th first-class match in the 2009/2010 season for the Titans.

In January 2018, the Chennai Super Kings bought him to play in the IPL. In the 2019 IPL season, he took 26 wickets, winning the "Purple Cap" for being the top wicket-taker.

In October 2018, he joined the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants for the first Mzansi Super League T20 tournament. In July 2020, he was part of the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League. He even became their captain in 2023. That same year, the Guyana Amazon Warriors won the tournament for the first time ever!

In August 2021, while playing for Birmingham Phoenix, Tahir made history again. He took the first hat-trick in the new "The Hundred" cricket tournament. In November 2021, he was chosen to play for the Dambulla Giants in the 2021 Lanka Premier League.

In October 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that Imran Tahir would be a mentor for the Bahawalpur team. This is for the upcoming Pakistan Junior Cricket League.

Imran Tahir's International Career

Imran Tahir was first considered for the South African Test team in 2010. However, it was a mistake because he wasn't yet allowed to play for South Africa until January 2011. He was quickly removed from the team. But as soon as he became eligible, he was back in the squad.

Tahir officially qualified for South Africa on 1 January 2011. He was then picked for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. His captain, Graeme Smith, wanted to keep him a surprise for the World Cup. So, he didn't play in the matches leading up to it.

Making His Debut and Key Moments

Imran Tahir played his first match for South Africa on 24 February 2011. It was an ODI against the West Indies in Delhi. He made a great start, taking 4 wickets for 41 runs in 10 overs. He continued to impress, taking 14 wickets in his first five games.

He made his Test debut against Australia in November 2011. He was a regular player in the Test team for four years. In a Test series against Pakistan in 2013, he took five wickets in one day. This helped South Africa win the match and tie the series.

In November 2012, Tahir bowled 37 overs in a Test match against Australia. He didn't take any wickets and gave away 260 runs. These were the worst bowling figures in Test match history. After this, he was dropped from the team for a short time.

However, he made a strong comeback in Test cricket in October 2013. He took 5 wickets in an innings for the first time in a Test match. This helped South Africa win against Pakistan by a large margin. He took 8 wickets in that match.

At the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, Tahir had his best bowling figures. He took 4 wickets for 21 runs against the Netherlands. He was named "Man of the Match." Tahir was also the joint highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 12 wickets.

In the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup quarter-final, Tahir helped South Africa win their first ever World Cup knockout match. He took 4 wickets for 26 runs and was named "Man of the Match." At the end of 2015, he was chosen for the ICC ODI team of the year.

In February 2017, he became the top-ranked bowler in both ODI and T20I cricket. A few months later, he was named T20I Cricketer of the Year by Cricket South Africa. In August 2017, he was part of a "World XI" team that played three T20 International matches against Pakistan.

2019 Cricket World Cup and Retirement

In April 2019, Imran Tahir was chosen for South Africa's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He played in the very first match of the tournament against England. At 40 years and 64 days old, Tahir became the oldest South African to play in a World Cup match.

He also bowled the first over of the tournament, making him the first spin bowler to do so in a World Cup. Tahir took the first wicket of the World Cup, getting England's Jonny Bairstow out for a duck (zero runs). In South Africa's next match, Tahir played in his 100th ODI.

Tahir retired from international cricket after playing South Africa's last group match in the World Cup against Australia. In November 2020, he was nominated for the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Decade award.

Imran Tahir's Cricket Records

Imran Tahir holds several impressive records in cricket.

One Day International (ODI) Records

• He is the spin bowler with the most wickets for South Africa in the ICC World Cup, with 39 wickets.
• He was the first South African bowler to take seven wickets in a single ODI match.
• He reached 100 ODI wickets in just 58 matches, which is the fastest for any South African bowler.
• He is the first and only spinner to take over 100 wickets in ODIs for South Africa.
• He bowled the most "economical" ten-over spell by a South African spinner. He took 2 wickets for only 14 runs against New Zealand in March 2017.
• Imran Tahir was the first South African bowler to take 4 wickets in an innings in all three major ICC events: the World Cup, Champions Trophy, and World T20.

Twenty20 International (T20I) Records

• He was named T20 Cricketer of the Year for South Africa in 2013.
• Imran Tahir has taken the most wickets by a spinner for South Africa, with 61 wickets.
• He has the best bowling figures for any spinner in Twenty20 International cricket for South Africa. He took 5 wickets for 24 runs against New Zealand.

Images for kids

• Imran Tahir playing for South Africa against Somerset in July 2012.jpg

  Tahir playing for South Africa against Somerset in July 2012