Cape Town - Leg-spinner Imran Tahir is keen to impress the Proteas selectors when he plays for a South African Invitation XI against Pakistan in Kimberley.

According to the Volksblad website, Tahir will for the first time play in a match against his country of birth when the teams clash on Wednesday in a warm-up game for the visitors ahead of the five-match ODI series against the Proteas.

Tahir is not in the current Poteas ODI squad, but he hopes to impress the selectors with an eye on the Champions Trophy in England in June. The 33-year-old has vast experience of the English conditions having spent several seasons playing county cricket there.

"I hope a good performance tomorrow (Wednesday) will get me knocking on the door again," said Tahir.

Tahir bowled well for the Highveld Lions in their T20 clash against the Knights at the Wanderers on Saturday, taking two for 23.

"The ball came out of my hand well during that match," he said.

The SA Invitation side is comprised mainly of players from the Lions and Dolphins, as the other four franchise teams are involved in domestic T20 games on Wednesday.

Play in Kimberley starts at 14:30. The first ODI between the Proteas and Pakistan is scheduled for Chevrolet Park in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

Teams:

SA Invitation XI:

Stephen Cook (captain, Lions), Quinton de Kock (Lions), Jonathan Vandiar (Dolphins), Vaughn van Jaarsveld (Dolphins), Jean Symes (Lions), Cody Chetty (Dolphins), Temba Bavuma (Lions), Chris Morris (Lions), Craig Alexander (Dolphins), Imran Tahir (Lions), Hardus Viljoen (Lions), Lizaad Williams (Cape Cobras).

Pakistan:

Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan.