Feature: From Pakistan, with love
For the first time in South Africa’s cricket history, a question at a press conference was answered in Urdu.
For the first time in South Africa’s cricket history, a question at a press conference was answered in Urdu. As Imran Tahir was asked about the importance of playing for South Africa in Urdu, his eyes brightened, ears pricked up and voice boomed.
There is nothing wrong with Tahir’s English: It’s clear, and he has no problems with grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary. But his Urdu is sheer poetry. The words flowed like honey through smooth yoghurt, the emphasis on certain parts dotted his sentences like blobs of chocolate on that same dish and the usual confidence he expresses himself with was multiplied ten-fold.
Tahir is the first Pakistan-born player to represent South Africa and although he has great respect for his roots, he has become a citizen in every sense of the word of his adopted country. He dismissed all hopes of representing his country of birth over four years ago when he married Sumayya Dildar, a Durban beautician who he fell in love with during the under-19 World Cup in 1998.
“I’ve called her so many times since meeting for the first time to when we got married that I knew her home number better than any other number,” said Tahir. Now, he lives in the same house that he used to call relentlessly. The first thing he plans on doing with the money he makes from playing international cricket is buying a house for his wife and himself, because “she deserves it.”
Pakistan may rue letting a man with as much ambition and talent as Tahir go but South Africa remain set to reap the benefits. A consistent performer on the domestic circuit for four seasons, Tahir emerged on the selectors’ radar early last year when he was drafted in the squad for the fourth Test against England. However, all hopes were shattered when the administrators discovered that Tahir was ineligible to represent his adopted country just yet.
That began an 11-month process to get Tahir citizenship and as the wait grew longer, it seemed his form only got better. He remains the leading wicket-taker in the current first-class competition – 42 in just five matches. His limited-overs form has been in the spotlight through his stints with Warwickshire and Hampshire, and he showed his class for the Dolphins this season with 15 wickets at 17.60 in the MTN40.
Tahir’s form became impossible to ignore. More so, it was his demeanor: Tahir is one of the gentlemen of the game. He believes in chivalry and family values and has a desire to encourage people to live their dream. South Africa have not seen someone like him before and in many ways it’s fitting that immediately after losing Makhaya Ntini, a poster boy for black Africans, they have gained Tahir, who will fly the Pakistani flag together with South Africa’s.
The writer is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2011.
There is nothing wrong with Tahir’s English: It’s clear, and he has no problems with grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary. But his Urdu is sheer poetry. The words flowed like honey through smooth yoghurt, the emphasis on certain parts dotted his sentences like blobs of chocolate on that same dish and the usual confidence he expresses himself with was multiplied ten-fold.
Tahir is the first Pakistan-born player to represent South Africa and although he has great respect for his roots, he has become a citizen in every sense of the word of his adopted country. He dismissed all hopes of representing his country of birth over four years ago when he married Sumayya Dildar, a Durban beautician who he fell in love with during the under-19 World Cup in 1998.
“I’ve called her so many times since meeting for the first time to when we got married that I knew her home number better than any other number,” said Tahir. Now, he lives in the same house that he used to call relentlessly. The first thing he plans on doing with the money he makes from playing international cricket is buying a house for his wife and himself, because “she deserves it.”
Pakistan may rue letting a man with as much ambition and talent as Tahir go but South Africa remain set to reap the benefits. A consistent performer on the domestic circuit for four seasons, Tahir emerged on the selectors’ radar early last year when he was drafted in the squad for the fourth Test against England. However, all hopes were shattered when the administrators discovered that Tahir was ineligible to represent his adopted country just yet.
That began an 11-month process to get Tahir citizenship and as the wait grew longer, it seemed his form only got better. He remains the leading wicket-taker in the current first-class competition – 42 in just five matches. His limited-overs form has been in the spotlight through his stints with Warwickshire and Hampshire, and he showed his class for the Dolphins this season with 15 wickets at 17.60 in the MTN40.
Tahir’s form became impossible to ignore. More so, it was his demeanor: Tahir is one of the gentlemen of the game. He believes in chivalry and family values and has a desire to encourage people to live their dream. South Africa have not seen someone like him before and in many ways it’s fitting that immediately after losing Makhaya Ntini, a poster boy for black Africans, they have gained Tahir, who will fly the Pakistani flag together with South Africa’s.
The writer is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2011.