He may be 44 years old, but Imran Tahir is still far from cold on a cricket field. The former Protea spinner played a key role in his team in the just completed Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Tahir took the captaincy reins of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and he, together with a brilliant Dwaine Pretorius, ensured that his team held up the silverware.
The Warriors beat the Trinbago Knight Riders by nine wickets in a one-sided final with the two South Africans taking six wickets together in the showdown.
The break bowler took the wickets of the dangerous Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo to boast a bowling analysis of 2/8.
In doing so, he became the oldest captain yet to stand at the helm of a victorious T20 team. The record first stood behind MS Dhoni’s name who clinched the IPL title with the Chennai Super Kings at the age of 41.
“It was a wonderful experience to play for Guyana and its supporters. In the run-up to the tournament, many people made jokes when I was named the captain; I actually want to thank them because their comments encouraged me to play better,” said Tahir.
He took 18 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 15.44, conceding only six runs per over.
Captain Fantastic ???????? #CPL23 #ImranTahir #CricketPkayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSports pic.twitter.com/kkJIDcLkpO
— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 25, 2023
According to tradition, during a club cricket match in England at the time, Tahir went so wild during his usual wicket celebration that he ran clear across the border and got a little lost in the British streets.
His teammates launched a search and the somewhat dazed bowler was escorted back to the batting pad.
More than 50 teams, 107 one-day matches for the Proteas and 391 T20 matches (all over the world) later, and the evergreen Tahir’s passion and almost childlike joy when he takes a wicket is, so to speak, unchanged.
