Imran Tahir Set for Dolphins Return at 46 Ahead of CSA One Day Cup Defence
Veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir is poised to make a remarkable return to the Dolphins at the age of 46 as the defending champions begin their CSA One Day Cup campaign on Friday against the Warriors in Gqeberha.
Tahir previously represented the Dolphins in South Africa’s domestic circuit from the 2010-11 season through 2019-20 and now rejoins the squad at a crucial juncture. His comeback comes as the Dolphins prepare to cope without seven frontline players who will be away on national duty when South Africa tour New Zealand for a five-match T20I series starting March 15.
Dolphins head coach Quinton Friend welcomed Tahir’s return, emphasising the value of his vast experience.
“Imran is a fantastic team guy, and we are really looking forward to having him in our space for the One Day Cup,” Friend said in a statement. “With us losing all those players for the New Zealand tour, I thought it would be great to bring in a guy like Imran with all his experience, and we're really excited to have him in our changeroom.”
The Dolphins have also been boosted by the return of Jon-Jon Smuts, who was most recently in action for Italy at the T20 World Cup.
With South Africa set to host the 50-over World Cup in 2027 — when Tahir will be 48 — Friend highlighted the growing importance of domestic one-day cricket in shaping the national side’s future.
“The One Day Cup is a huge competition domestically, and if you look at how Cricket South Africa are trying to build a squad for the World Cup next year, it's crucial that the players understand the 50-over format,” Friend said. “From a CSA perspective, the One Day Cup is massive for domestic cricket and is definitely one of those competitions that everyone wants to win.”
Most of South Africa’s players currently involved in the T20 World Cup will not travel to New Zealand. The touring side will be led by Dolphins spinner Keshav Maharaj. Other Dolphins players in the touring party include Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman, Prenelan Subrayen, Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane and Jason Smith. All except Maharaj and Smith are part of the squad for the One Day Cup opener.
Friend acknowledged the challenge of losing key personnel but expressed confidence in the franchise’s depth.
“It’s going to be huge for us to lose that many players but, in saying that, we are extremely proud of those players,” he said. “We will be challenged by this, but we are embracing that, and we've done a lot of work over the last two years with our pipeline to get players up to a level where they can compete and win matches for us.”
Despite the disruption, expectations remain high for the title holders.
“The expectation is always to go out and win this trophy and find consistency in the competition. We need to find a way to put together a team that can win games, and that's an exciting challenge for us,” Friend added.
Dolphins One Day Cup squad:
Andile Simelane, Marques Ackerman, Imran Tahir, Prenelan Subrayen (capt), Eathan Bosch, Nqobani Mokoena, Khaya Zondo, Slade van Staden, Hanu Viljoen, Romashan Pillay, Tristan Luus, Jon-Jon Smuts, Ottniel Baartman, Tshepang Dithole.