Guyana Amazon Warriors' skipper and former Protea spinner Imran Tahir expresses his outrage over non-payment of dues for his stint with Rangpur Riders in last year's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season. As his side looked to lock horns with the Bangladeshi franchise in the ongoing Global Super League tournament, his eye-opening remarks have highlighted a grave issue within the Bangladesh domestic cricket structure. 

Speaking at the toss, Tahir was visibly frustrated with Rangpur Riders on this issue which in turn fueled his desire to outperform his former franchise in the 8th encounter of the Global Super League. 

See also: ICC approves PCB's request for a hybrid model for all their future games till 2027

Tahir's comments at the toss

At the time of winning the toss, Tahir's comments seemed to be very modest at first. Like most captains, Tahir backed his side and wanted them to put on a good show. 

He seemed to be in good spirits before unleashing a bombshell on his opposition Rangpur Riders, which now happens to be one of the former franchises he represented last year. 

"We want to win every game; that's what we're here for. I am personally motivated to win this match for Guyana because last year I played for Rangpur in the BPL. I still haven't received my full payment from them, which makes me even more eager to perform against them."

The Demerara Bank Coin Toss goes the way of the Rangpur Riders and they have decided to bat first tonight! 🇬🇾 vs 🇧🇩 #GSLT20 #GAWvRR #GlobalSuperLeague pic.twitter.com/4vzXbmIoHz

— Global Super League (@gslt20) December 4, 2024

Tahir does not end there. He goes a step further to intensify his attack on the Rangpur Riders franchise. He wanted to highlight Guyana's welcoming culture which stands in sharp contrast with the outlook and the mindset of his former franchise. 

"We want to show them that Guyana welcomes them. They bring their local players here, earn some money, play good and we’ll show them that we’re better humans than them." 

Warriors fell short in a low-scoring thriller

Despite the bold comments from the Guyana Warriors skipper, the Warrior nation fell short by 15 runs. Pretorious, Tanzim, and Tahir starred with the ball picking up seven wickets but a fighting knock of 58 from Khushdil dragged the Riders to a face-saving total of 117. 

The Warriors batters failed to apply themselves in the run chase as Kamrul and Harmeet shared seven wickets between them to sink Guyana Warriors for 102. The Nurul Hasan-led Rangpur Riders have stormed their way to the final and will face Victoria at the Providence Stadium on December 6.

Imran Tahir, a former cricketer from South Africa, has offered his thoughts on Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) second IPL 2023 low-score chase failure, this time against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1 at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium. He asserts that the batting collapse is not solely the fault of the players.

Pursuing a disappointing objective of 127, LSG’s batting got going the tracks right from the primary over Steady wickets, combined with KL Rahul not having the option to bat because of injury up until the last wicket, brought about a 18-run misfortune for the hosts.

While the quarrels after the match between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir certainly stand out, it should not be missed to remember that this is LSG’s subsequent low-scoring run pursuit this year that has finished in disappointment, as they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT) while pursuing 136 recently.

Imran Tahir questioned the Super Giants’ batting lineup’s strategy during a recent appearance as a Star Sports commentator because they did not play responsibly in the absence of KL Rahul.

“Everyone knew that KL Rahul was injured and that he wouldn’t bat. So their batters should have taken the responsibility and the coaches should have communicated with them and made a proper plan,”

he said. 

The 44-year-old went on to say that coaches must also take some responsibility because LSG now routinely does this. 

“I feel the coaches should also take a little responsibility. We shouldn’t blame the players alone. They were probably given the message that they should go and play aggressively.”

Imran Tahir proceeded.

Imran Tahir slams LSG batting lineup for playing reckless shots

Imran Tahir has now criticized the Lucknow Super Giants’ batting lineup for taking careless shots against Royal Challengers Bangalore and losing the match as a result.

Krishnappa Gautham scored 23 for LSG, while RCB captain Faf du Plessis had a patient 44 from 40. Imran Tahir stated to Star Sports that LSG batters should learn from du Plessis and refrain from making risky shots when they are not necessary.

“This is their home ground. What amazed me is that everyone went in and tried to play shots. I don’t think those shots were required. You have seen Faf du Plessis, who concentrated primarily on singles and he is not like that. Normally he is an aggressive player, he is a player who goes and plays his shots,”

he said.

LSG will be looking to get back to winning ways in their next match, which is against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3.