Imran Tahir says his young son is a big reason he is still playing. The leg-spinner, 47, took 5/17 from four overs for Guyana Amazon Warriors against Saint Lucia Kings at Providence Stadium, and at 47 years and 166 days he beat his own record as the oldest man to take a T20 five-wicket haul. His previous mark was set at 46 years and 148 days in CPL 2025.
Wickets that mattered
The figures were also his best in T20 cricket, improving on 5/21. His spell helped limit the Kings to 119 before Guyana completed an easy win. Tahir trapped Kamil Pooran lbw for 43 with a sharply turning wrong’un, and bowled Matthew Forde when the batter misread a ball that went straight on and hit the top of off stump.
Extending his own record
Before Tahir took the record in 2025, it belonged to Cook Islands’ Tomakunte Ritawa, who took 5/19 against Fiji at 46 years and 299 days. Tahir passed it with 5/21 against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in CPL 2025, and has now improved on that a year later.
He put the success down to his lines and lengths, saying the ball turned sharply at Providence, which he had not found in the previous two games.
Family motivation
Tahir said his son keeps telling him to play one more year and then join him. He wants to give that to his son and to young players watching around the world.
Tahir has played 461 T20 matches since his domestic debut in Pakistan in 2006 and is 11 wickets short of 600 in the format.
