Imran Tahir Could Be South Africa's Key Player During the World Cup

Imran Tahir could be South Africa’s key player during the World Cup.

Imran Tahir might be a woeful bowler in Test cricket, but he proves time and time again that he is a gun player in the limited-overs format. In the first one-day international against the West Indies on Friday, Tahir picked up three wickets with an economy rate of 5.00.

It’s something Faf du Plessis has mentioned before. When it comes to limited overs, Tahir has everything working for him. In Tests, his keenness to use his variation costs him. His lack of patience will far too often see him leak runs, but in limited overs, it works to his advantage.

With defensive fields set for Tahir, even if he bowls a bad ball, there is likely a boundary rider to catch a batsman holing out. Equally, because the pressure to score is far greater on batsmen in limited-overs matches, Tahir’s approach becomes far more effective.

He picked up his 50th ODI wicket on Friday night and of those 50 wickets, more than half (28) have been out caught. Because batsmen are often lulled into a false sense of security with Tahir, they get caught out.

Second on his list of dismissals is the 13 that have come through LBWs and third most is clean bowled (eight). These dismissals are largely thanks to his googly. Although he is yet to master the art of using his googly to its utmost efficiency in one-day cricket, he’s certainly on the right track.

His impact was evident during the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014. Tahir was South Africa's leading wicket-taker then, with 12 wickets in five matches. Although he was helped by the turning conditions in Bangladesh, it was his miserly economy rate of 6.55 and his low average of 10.91 that made him stand out. His strike-rate of 10.00 was equally impressive.

While the two formats are quite different, the basics still apply. Tahir is most effective when he is used in short bursts and in the one-day format, he’s pretty good at getting batsmen out no matter where in the order they bat.

The bulk of his dismissals (23) have been middle order batsmen (from four to seven), but this is far more likely to be down to when he usually comes on to bowl rather than his abilities. Twelve top order players (one to three) and 15 (eight to eleven) tail end batsmen have been dismissed by him.

Such a wide range of wickets is indicative of his efficacy and his importance to the South African limited-overs bowling attack.

The one slight area of concern is that in the three matches Tahir has played in Australia, he has taken just one wicket and he averages 131.00. His economy rate remains tidy at 5.24, but it will be crucial for skipper AB de Villiers to manage him carefully during the World Cup.

It will be crucial for skipper AB de Villiers to manage him carefully during the World Cup.

Tahir is very much a confidence player and he feeds off the energy and advice of his team-mates. When things are going badly, he tends to become impatient and make far too many mistakes. Despite having a wealth of experience, Tahir still needs to be nudged in the right direction more often than not.

With a little bit of help and patience, though, and partnered with JP Duminy, Tahir could be one of South Africa’s key men during the World Cup.

All quotes obtained firsthand.