Will Retire If We Win The 2019 World Cup, Says Imran Tahir
When it comes to playing cricket, South Africa’s 40-year old spin spearhead Imran Tahir has no intentions of slowing down. However, in a recent interview, he hinted he could bring an end to his career if South Africa go all the way in the next year’s World Cup.
“I’m trying to go as long as I can,” Tahir said ahead of the second ODI against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein. “Make sure I enjoy my game and I give what the team requires of me. I wouldn’t want to overstay in the team for too long. I want to leave with respect.
“It’s a bit early for me to say anything [about retirement],” he stated. “I’m loving the game at the moment. One thing I can say, if we win the World Cup then I’ll probably call it. It’s early for me, and I’m enjoying every opportunity I get to play for South Africa.”
Tahir has returned to the national side after missing out on the Sri Lanka tour. The Proteas team-management tried out Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj in the island nation while Tahir plied his trade in T20 leagues in England and the Caribbeans. And the leg-spinner impressed in both the countries.
While he picked up 15 wickets in T20 Blast, he ended up with one more in the Caribbean Premier League.
The absence from the Sri Lanka tour, nonetheless, further extended his absence from ODIs. The first ODI of this ongoing series was his first since February this year. But there were no signs of rustiness as he took a couple of wickets to hep his side start the series with a win.
“I’ve been playing the game, which is very good for me. I’d rather be playing than having a rest,” he said.
Tahir further said that he was training very hard to maintain his fitness standards ahead of the World Cup.
“I’ve been working really hard on my fitness. We’ve got so many fit guys in our team, so if you want to keep the standards up, a guy like me, I need to be really up from a fitness point of view and make an impact. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m the kind of guy who loves challenges.
“I’m trying to focus my training and take that into the World Cup. I’m developing some bowling and fielding plans and things like that. And preparing for some difficult times when I might need to bowl, and I need to be really up for it whenever the captain needs me to bowl,” he said.
South Africa, meanwhile, will be looking to wrap up the series when they take on Zimbabwe in the second and penultimate match of the series on Wednesday.
Tagged:
Imran Tahir
