Tabraiz Shamsi brings a competitive spirit that burns bright for the Proteas
Among the things that went right for SA in Sri Lanka were their spin options and Tabraiz Shamsi, in particular, didn’t disappoint
● In SA’s top 10 Test and ODI wicket-takers, there are only two spinners, Hugh Tayfield (off-spin in Tests with 170) and Imran Tahir (leg-spin in ODIs with 139), who have cut a path other spinners haven’t followed.
This statistic also speaks volumes about SA’s historical and justified reliance on pace.
Then the emergence of fizzy left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi suddenly refreshed SA’s spin bowling stocks.
In a Sri Lankan tour of extremes (two bone-jarring Test defeats, three resounding ODI wins followed by three deflating losses), Shamsi was the buoy that somehow remained steadfast in the stormy waters.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Shamsi was the proverbial human violin that played as the ship sank. He was a fast bowler who discovered he wasn’t fast enough when he was 14 and moved to spin.
“When you grow up in SA, you always want to be a fast bowler because that’s what’s around you, but when I was 14, I was told I couldn’t bowl fast and I was given an
I want to be a bowler who does something big in a game
Tabraiz Shamsi
Proteas spinner
option to switch to off-spin or wrist-spin. When I was given the option, my coach then told me off-spin is the easier option and I decided to go for the harder one,” Shamsi said.
“When you do things the hard way, you learn to make an impact regardless, and I wanted to become the kind of player who can make an impact. And I want the team to make an impact. I know I want to become the bowler who can perform when the conditions are tough.”
Shamsi, who is currently with the South African A side in India after his Sri Lankan exploits, had a relatively long route to the national team. His cricketing path took him from Jeppe High School for Boys in Kensington in Johannesburg to the leafier Parktown Boy’s High where current Dolphins coach Grant Morgan crossed his path.
They would meet again at KwaZulu-Natal Inland when Shamsi’s career had hit the early skids. “I first met Grant Morgan when he coached the Lions B-team when I had just come out of the Under-19 level and he gave me my first full crack at amateur cricket — and I progressed well from there at the Lions. I then moved around a bit from the Lions to the Dolphins, from where I found a home at the Titans,” Shamsi said.
“It really helped my career when I bumped into Grant at KZN-Inland because I had just lost my Dolphins contract and that wasn’t easy. It made me realise the value of working with people who knew and understood your game and the same applies with the coaches that I work with now in Mark Boucher at the Titans and Ottis Gibson with the national team.”
Wrist-spin discipline
Shamsi’s averages (43.65 in Tests, 32.00 in ODIs and 42.65 in T20Is) may not be flattering, but the respective economy rates of 3.45, 4.86 and 8.25 runs per over tell his story of not only trying to master a difficult art, but getting the balance between attack and defence right. The born, bred and buttered Joburger knows he is on the path to understand his game and his difficult art.
Next to opening the batting, wrist-spin is one of cricket’s toughest disciplines. Fortunately for Shamsi, he has had Tahir’s experiBy ence to fall on.
“Imran Tahir has been big for South African leg-spin and I don’t think that’s something that has been realised. He may be turning 40 soon but that tells you how well travelled and experienced he is. I’ve become a better bowler just from the time I’ve spent with him,” Shamsi said.
“If I didn’t spend time with Imran, I don’t think I would have developed as quickly and bettered my game in the way that I have done in the time that I’ve spent with him. There’s a lot that I still learn from him and even though he has more experience than me, we still learn from each other.”
What South African cricket has lost in a budding Wasim Akram or Chaminda Vaas they’ve gained in the competitive spirit that burns bright in Shamsi’s belly. His type has always been bellicose — and understandably so. They’re a feared breed who when their skills and stars align, become a leaden-footed batsman’s worst nightmare.
Shamsi knows wrist-spin will be a crucial ingredient in next year’s World Cup but wants to better himself mentally before the challenge comes.
“I need to do my job as best as I can so I can make those who walked this journey with me proud. I don’t want to be just a part of a team, I want to be a player who does something in a big game. I want to be the player who turns a game so we can win.”