Imran Tahir is back in coastal colours. The leg-spinner, now 46, has answered an SOS from Dolphins coach Quinton Friend and will join the squad for Friday’s CSA One Day Cup opener against Warriors in Gqeberha. It’s a neat full-circle moment: Tahir last played for the Durban side in 2019-20, and his experience suddenly feels priceless with seven regulars off to New Zealand for South Africa’s T20I series.
Friend made no attempt to hide both the need and the excitement. “Imran is a fantastic team guy, and we are really looking forward to having him in our space for the One Day Cup,” he said this week. “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.”
Hard numbers underline the problem. Keshav Maharaj will captain the Proteas in New Zealand, and five more Dolphins – Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman, Prenelan Subrayen, Eathan Bosch and Andile Simelane – are also on that flight. Jason Smith is travelling too. Only Maharaj and Smith are available on opening day, so Friend has effectively lost half a first XI.
Tahir’s task is therefore two-fold: take wickets, obviously, but also shepherd a young attack. The veteran hasn’t played competitive 50-over cricket since the 2023 Caribbean Premier League, yet he remains relentlessly fit and was still whirling away in the recent SA20. A one-day World Cup comes to South Africa in 2027, when Tahir will be 48. Friend believes the domestic competition’s relevance has seldom been higher. “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,” he explained. “I think it’s a fantastic format, and building up to that World Cup it’s really important that we can focus on the things we want to achieve as a nation at that tournament. 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.”
The Dolphins have added another familiar face. JJ Smuts – fresh from representing Italy at the T20 World Cup, of all twists – returns to his home franchise. Smuts slots into the middle order and gives Friend a second slow-bowling option if conditions suit. It also means two thirty-somethings, Smuts and Khaya Zondo, could form the glue around which fledglings such as Slade van Staden and Romashan Pillay play with freedom.
Friend isn’t pretending the exodus is painless. “It’s going to be huge for us to lose that many players but, in saying that, we are extremely proud of those players. I want to say well done to them because they’ve done exceptionally well and are reaping the rewards,” he said. At the same time, the coach sees an opening for the production line. “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.”
The immediate aim remains unambiguous. “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 concluded.
Dolphins lifted the One Day Cup last season through a combination of nous and seam depth; replicating that without Bosch or Baartman is the hard part. Still, a 46-year-old leggie who can celebrate like a teenager might be exactly what the dressing-room needs.
Dolphins squad for 2026 One Day Cup
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
