‘Chinaman’ Shamsi thrown in at deep end

NEW Proteas cap Tabraiz Shamsi has revealed how he was thrown in at the deep end by captain AB de Villiers when he was handed the ball against bitter rivals Australia in the Caribbean last week.

The left-arm wrist spinner, the 116th player to represent South Africa in the 50-over format and the first bowler of South African-Indian descent, had barely warmed up when his skipper called on him in the 11th over.

The 26-year-old picked up his first international wicket in the final ball of the over when he trapped Glenn Maxwell leg before wicket. He went on to register figures of one for 36 from eight overs as the Proteas secured a 47-run win in Guyana.

“I could not have asked for a better start,” he said. “I was really happy to bowl well in my first game. The most important thing is that we also managed to get the win.

“AB did not give me a chance to get nervous. He just gave me the ball and said that I was bowling this over. He threw me into the deep end.”

Shamsi grew up in Johannesburg and joined the Lions in 2010 before moving to Durban to play for the Sunfoil Dolphins. He failed to cement a place before he ventured to Pietermaritzburg to play for the KZN Inland team, two years later.

He impressed coach Grant Morgan and was rewarded with a move to the Unlimited Titans in 2013/14.

His stock finally began to rise as he took 47 wickets at an average of 20.02 to finish third in the Provincial ThreeDay competition wicket tacking list. It was a run that propelled him into franchise cricket the following season with the Titans.

“As a child, you start playing the game because you love it. As you grow older and get into the professional environment you feel the pressure based on performances.

“There are a lot of people scrutinising you, and we tend to forget the fun factor. Every game you play, could be your last. I want to enjoy it.”

His performances last season saw him approached by Caribbean Premier League franchise St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The “chinaman” bowler took to the Carribean pitches and finished as their highest wicket-taker with 11 at 13.27 from the seven matches he played.