Tabraiz Shamsi is doing pretty well off the field as well as on it if his first Proteas’ press conference is anything to go by.
Last night in St Kitts the 26-year-old from Johannesburg had the media eating out of his hand as he breezed through his first question and answer session, while he looked back on his winning one-day international debut against world champions Australia in Guyana early on Wednesday.
Asked whether he had been nervous, the 26-year-old Shamsi chuckled.
“I know I couldn’t have asked for a better start, but the joke was that AB (de Villiers) didn’t give me a chance to get nervous.
“He just gave me the ball and said I would be bowling the next over. He just threw me into the deep end.”
It was noted that between them, he and his spin partner Imran Tahir certainly cause a few waves when they appeal. Tahir is well known for his victory celebrations, which often take him a considerable distance from the pitch with his smiling teammates hardly bothering to follow him these days.
Shamsi looks as though he’s learning from the master.
“If it’s a close shout, I’m going to go up big,” he said before elaborating on the sense of fun that he brings to the game.
“As a child when you start playing the game, you play it because you love it. Of course as you grow older and get involved in the professional environment there’s a lot more pressure on you as people scrutinise your performances.
“But we tend to forget the fun factor, and that’s one thing I never want to forget. Every game you play could be your last and I just want to enjoy every game I play.”
Shamsi paid tribute to Tahir, describing him as a “world-class performer for many years. He’s been a big, big help for me, not just on this tour but for the last couple of years.
“I’m always on his case, always asking for tips. Huge credit must go to him as well as the coaching staff.”
The pitch at Providence didn’t attract many compliments from the media and pundits with it’s slow pace and low bounce. Shamsi, however, saw it differently.
“They say cricket’s a batsman’s game, but this leg (of the tour) made us bowlers feel good,” he said.
“Not only did we get help from the (turning) pitch, but the field was probably the biggest you’ll see outside Australia. I guess the smaller fields coming up will bring the big hits again!”
Shamsi knows St Kitts well, because he played for their team in the Caribbean Premier League there last year. Tomorrow (starting 7pm SA time), the Proteas play the Australians for the second time in a week in the Tri-Series.
He expects life to get more difficult on what is expected to be a faster-paced pitch with less turn. “I’ll have to come up with a plan. Hopefully it’ll work,” he said. - Cape Argus