Infectious, irrepressible and pioneering... why we will miss Imran Tahir

WILL FORD: The spinner takes his one-day international leave following South Africa's exit from the World Cup and departs having made a tangible impact on the sport

Arms outstretched, sprinting away towards the boundary, hair pulled back, flapping in the wind. One, two, three fist pumps and a lion’s roar of unbridled joy.

In a time where allrounders are king and fielding statistics are looked at to the nth degree, Imran Tahir is a window to a former age when bowlers could only bowl and weren’t expected to score runs or pull off diving stops in the field.

He has taken more wickets in ODI cricket than he has scored runs. Yes, this shows he is a poor batsman but also proves his worth to South Africa as a bowler. He won’t make a score but he’s still very much worth having in the team.

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Since his debut in 2011, no ODI spinner has more wickets than Tahir and he set the template for what we have now come to expect from one-day tweakers. Speed approaching medium pace, the flat trajectory, the googly as a stock delivery and no big leg break in his armoury; he is a master of the middle overs.

Tahir is one of South Africa’s most decorated bowlers. He has the most World Cup wickets of all Proteas, reached 100 ODI scalps in the quickest time and is the only South African spinner to hit that milestone.

Those outstanding skills are dwarfed only by his infectious enthusiasm and exuberance.

Belying his age for the past 10 years, he’s a bowler that makes any period of a game watchable when he’s in the attack. The bustling run-up, outlandish lbw appeals for balls pitching a foot outside leg stump, mad gesticulations towards fielders and of course – that celebration.

By his own admission, most of the time Tahir himself doesn’t know where he’s running – he’s “just so happy to take a wicket”. This sentiment in itself explains why so many fans have taken Tahir to their hearts – it’s how they would react if they took a wicket amid the buzz at Lord’s for South Africa or under the lights in the cauldron atmosphere of the Chepauk for Chennai Super Kings. The fans love him because in those moments he is them.

^{Imran Tahir's celebration has been plastered all over this World Cup}

People often talk about ‘character’ in sport. Has he got the character to step up and take the penalty? Has she got the character to hold serve before a tiebreaker? Character in these terms simply describes something that can’t be measured – that bit that separates the great from the good.

Tahir does have character – he can make the difference with the ball in high-pressure situations. But more importantly – Tahir is a character.

It’s very hard not to like a guy who knows how fortunate he is to be doing what he loves and isn’t afraid to show it.

His scalp of Australian skipper Aaron Finch was his last in ODI’s as he retires from the game and he celebrated it in his typical way – with a charging run to nowhere in particular.

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