Meet tweaker Imran Tahir, who could soon be an international if he continues getting wickets

Imran Tahir (32), the man who switched nationalities for the sake of his lady love, is the talk of the town. For Tahir has introduced a rare culture of spin bowling to this province -- the curator here at Kingsmead has been shaving off grass from the surface just so the leg-spinner can take a bagful of wickets for the Dolphins, the state side.



Travelling since the age of 19, Tahir has played cricket everywhere from his native Pakistan to England and now South Africa. He was keen on playing international cricket for Pakistan, but the bag-packing free spirit landed in the rainbow nation for his heart told him to. He met Saumaya Diladar in 1998, as a member of the Under-19 World Cup team. In 2006, Tahir returned to South Africa, thanks to his friend Gulam Bodi, to get
married.

Recently, Waqar Younis had asked Tahir if he wanted to play for Pakistan. The leggie laughed, and turned down the Pakistan coach's offer. His wife, Saumaya is also against Tahir migrating back to Pakistan as she feels Tahir's talent will be wasted.

On December 10, Tahir became eligible to play for South Africa. It's no secret that this country has rarely produced a world-class spinner. Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen have admired Tahir, stating he must represent his new home at the highest level.u00a0
Tahir caught up with
MiD DAY for a chat.

Excerpts: You have played for over 10 teams from Yorkshire to Lahore to Titans ufffd.
I take a lot of pride in it. Wherever I played, not just for clubs, but even charity matches, I wanted to do well. Playing county cricket in England is extremely tough and puts your skills to the test. I had to wait for 10 years but finally I have got the
recognition.