Shamsi in the spotlight for second T20

Potchefstroom – The Proteas, 1-0 up in the three-match T20 International series, have left out star leg-spinner Imran Tahir so as to give the others – mainly Tabraiz Shamsi – a chance, ahead of their clash here today.

It’s been one-way traffic, even though the low scores in the oneday internationals did suggest competitive clashes. South Africa won the ODIs by five wickets, 120 runs and four wickets, and then won the first T20 by 34 runs as Tahir ran amok.

Tahir, in fact, has been a thorn in Zimbabwe’s side right through the series. He was the top bowler with 10 wickets in the ODIs, won the Player-of-the-Series award and then picked up 5/23 in the first T20 on Tuesday.

Clearly, South Africa don’t need to see what he can do any more, and have shifted their focus to Shamsi.

Shamsi’s has been a stop-start career, and four wickets in seven T20s at an average of 52 is poorer than his team expect of him. Most recently, he went wicketless in the final ODI and the first T20. In fact, the 72 runs Shamsi conceded in his 10 overs in the ODI in Paarl were the most by a South African against Zimbabwe.

With big ICC events coming up, South Africa will want to see how Shamsi goes. Similarly, Gihahn Cloete and Christiaan Jonker, newcomers who didn’t have too good a time in the first game, will try to make the most of another opportunity. Rassie van der Dussen, who scored a half-century in the first T20, will also hope to build on his reputation.

Zimbabwe’s problems, chiefly, lie in the batting department. They could have been much more competitive in the three ODIs, and the first T20, had their batsmen done more to support the bowlers.

The line-up of Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Tarisai Musakanda, Sean Williams, Peter Moor and Elton Chigumbura, the top seven in the last game, are definitely capable of scoring more than 126 – Moor, really, was the only one to show fight, scoring 44 off 21 balls.

If the batsmen lift their game and take Zimbabwe around the 150-160 region, it could mean a decent contest.

For South Africa, Shamsi is someone who is quite a regular in T20 leagues around the world and has played 96 games in the format over the years.

However, the left-arm wrist-spinner hasn’t quite made a mark internationally yet.