T20 Blast: Imran Tahir joins Durham Jets for the upcoming season

South African selection committee has rested the leg-spinner Imran Tahir for South Africa’s ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka. The leggie is all set to play for Durham Jets in the T20 Blast. He will make himself available for nine fixtures in the tournament. His first game will be against Yorkshire Vikings on 5th of July.

In ICC T20I rankings, Imran Tahir is at the No. 7th rank. He has played more than 200 T20 games, picking 203 wickets. He was also a part of the IPL 2018 winning team Chennai Super Kings. The 39-year-old has represented the green shirts in 33 T20Is, 85 ODIs and 20 Tests, claiming 253 wickets across all three formats.

Excited to be a part of the tournament

Speaking about his newly penned deal with Durham, Tahir said he is excited to take a part in one of the thrilling T20 leagues, “I’m really excited to be heading to Durham for the T20 Blast,” Tahir said as quoted by SA Cricket Magazine. “I always enjoy playing in England and hope that my previous international and county experience can help make an impact.”

Tahir had recently played for Derbyshire, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire in county cricket. After penning the latest deal, Durham’s head coach Jon Lewis said, “We wanted to invest in a top-quality player to improve our white ball squad and we feel that Imran demonstrates our ambition to compete in the T20 format.”

“We were keen to strengthen our squad with an experienced big-game player, who will also be able to help our talented youngsters and look forward to welcoming him to Emirates Riverside. He is one of the best leg-spinners in the world and will bring a different dimension to our game.”

CSA Selectors have decided to try other spin options to find a perfect backup option for Tahir for the upcoming ICC 2019 World Cup. Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj will fight for that spot when South Africa takes on Sri Lanka in July.

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