AB de Villiers: Imran Tahir deserves full marks for this exam

If Imran Tahir wrote an exam in the Proteas’ opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka, he wouldn’t have merely passed with distinction.

He would’ve come close to full marks … at least according to his captain, AB de Villiers.

Also read: Imran Tahir shows why he’s top dog as Proteas win

South Africa’s influential leg-spinner took four for 27 in Saturday’s 96-run win, playing a major role in turning the match in his side’s favour.

“That performance was close to ten out of ten,” said De Villiers.

“Not only with the ball in hand but that run out, it always shows me where the player is at when he shows that kind of dedication and commitment in the field.

“Immy is a great asset for us. He takes wickets and is also economical most of the time. He had a fantastic performance.”

Despite his wickets proving crucial, Tahir’s energy in the field also gave his teammates a lift, especially after Sri Lanka got off to a fast start.

“It’s great to see. He’s just got a lot of passion for this team and he loves playing for South Africa. I love seeing that passion come out when he celebrates his wickets,” said De Villiers.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. He’s earned the right to go a little bit overboard sometimes, and it puts a smile an all the teammates’ faces, which is great.”

Not only that, he settled nerves as there were doubts over the substance of the Proteas 299/6.

However, De Villiers wasn’t worried.

Centurion Hashim Amla’s, whose hundred was his 25th in ODIs – he’s the quickest in history to that mark – believed it was enough.

“We also had a feeling before the start of the game that around 275 was going to be par. We were really happy around 300. We felt that it was tough to hit the ball off the back end,” said De Villiers.

“Hashim did really well to assess the conditions, and communicated well with us, what kind of score is going to be good.It was an amazing innings.”

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