CAPE TOWN - “It’s not all doom and gloom.” This is according to Proteas left-arm spin bowler Tabraiz Shamsi upon his return from the 32-man culture camp at the Kruger National Park last month.
Some might feel that Shamsi may have missed out on a fair bit while in the bush due to the fact that Cricket SA’s president Chris Nenzani and acting chief executive Jacques Faul resigned during that period. In addition, CSA’s Annual General Meeting which was meant to take place the past weekend was also postponed.
The 30-year-old, however, remains upbeat about the state of South African cricket despite the Proteas Men’s and Women’s nationally contracted players both recently voicing their concerns over CSA’s governance through a statement released by the South African Cricketers' Association.
"There's a big distinction between the Proteas team itself and CSA as a whole," Shamsi said. "We know there's a bit of turmoil in the administrative side of things and those are things that we cannot control.
"Those are things that are not for us to worry about because our job is to play cricket for the nation and win games and win trophies for the country."
The Proteas Men’s side certainly don’t need any further distractions. They are currently in a rebuilding process after a few high-profile retirements and are only beginning to adjust to the new coaching group headed by former Proteas wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.
“Belonging is creating an environment where people can come in and feel comfortable from the word ‘go.’ People can feel like they are in an environment where they can speak their mind and where they can be themselves." - Rassie van der Dussen pic.twitter.com/8LFMDcLwcS
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) September 3, 2020
The Test side has slipped alarmingly down the ICC rankings and currently occupy sixth place on the ladder due to having lost three successive series since defeating Pakistan at home in 2018/19.
Quinton de Kock’s ODI outfit still holds a respectable fourth position, although his T20 team slip down to fifth.
"All our senior players retired in a big clump and experience is something you can't buy. Guys like Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander leaving leaves a massive gap and under normal circumstances, you have younger players filtering in and learning from them and preparing them for the time when the legends retire. For whatever reason, that wasn't the case for us,” Shamsi said.
"But it's a positive. Even though it's a young group of guys, we can relate to each other better. There's no major distinction between the older guys and the younger guys, or the experienced guys and the inexperienced guys. It's not all doom and gloom.“
"I am very positive. We have played with and against each other for a long time, so we have a very good understanding. I am comfortable with where we are at and the direction we are going in as a group."
The Proteas have had tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies postponed due to the Covid-19 virus and do not have any confirmed fixtures or tours as yet going forward for the 2020-21 season.
@ZaahierAdams
Cape Times