Given the lengthy absence of all Pakistani players – bar those who have switched allegiance to another country – from the Indian Premier League (IPL), it seems weird to think one of them once ruled the tournament.
And not just any old edition: the first one, the one that set the platform for everything that followed.
Sohail Tanvir was an unlikely pioneer.
Little heralded at any point during his early career and memorable chiefly for his quirky, off-the-wrong-foot bowling action and Desperate Dan chin, he dominated IPL I.
His method caught the attention more than his returns.
In his first 10 domestic Twenty20s in Pakistan, he failed to take a single wicket, yet he still earned a call-up to the national team.
Rajasthan Royals, who were adept at scouring the basement bucket in that first year, took a chance on him, too.
He repaid them lavishly.
He took a tournament-best six for 14 in his third game and ended the IPL as the proud owner of the Purple Cap for the leading wicket-taker.
He may have earned his money with the ball, but his finest moment – as well as his franchise’s greatest hour – arrived in the inaugural final, against Chennai Super Kings.
Batting with the great Shane Warne, the side’s captain and coach, at the other end, Tanvir hit the winning runs off the last ball to claim the inaugural IPL title.
“It was just one of those things that was meant to be,” Warne said.
pradley@thenational.ae
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