London: South Africa’s Imran Tahir on Thursday became the first spinner to bowl the first over in a World Cup match during the tournament-opener against hosts England, here.
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis handed the ball to Tahir after winning the toss and the leg-spinner didn’t disappoint as he dismissed England opener Jonny Bairstow (0) in the second ball. Tahir deceived Bairstow with a googly as the opener ended up giving a catch to wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock without bothering the scorer. In the 1992 World Cup, New Zealand off-spinner Dipak Patel had bowled the second over during a match against Australia. Tahir (40 years and 64 days) also became the oldest South African to play in a World Cup match. The previous record was held by his compatriot Omar Henry (40 years and 39 days). Henry was picked to play against Sri Lanka in Wellington during the 1992 World Cup. (PTI)
