Tabraiz Shamsi wants to put smiles back on the faces of the Proteas fans

Proteas’ spinner Tabraiz Shamsi

FILE - Proteas’ spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Published Jul 9, 2021

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CAPE TOWN – Tabraiz Shamsi is looking forward to the Proteas' seam bowlers reclaiming centre-stage when the three-match ODI series against Ireland begins in Dublin on Sunday.

The left-arm wrist-spinner found the conditions in the Caribbean much to his liking recently, with Shamsi keeping a tight noose around the powerful West Indies batters in the T20 series. He was named Player of the Series, and along with fellow left-arm spinner George Linde, the duo bowled the Proteas to a surprise 3-2 series victory over the current T20 world champions.

But with the weather much cooler in Ireland and the pitches expected to be a lot greener, Shamsi believes he may need to adapt his role.

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"It (the pitches) definitely has a lot more in it for the fast bowlers than the Caribbean. We had a good training session yesterday and the boys spoke about seam movement that the pitches were offering, so it will be nice to see our fast bowlers in full flow during this series," he said.

"It is definitely a lot different in terms of conditions here, so my role might be a lot more minimal than to what it was in the West Indies. I am comfortable with that. I have realized there are two ways of winning games for the team. It is not just about 'Shammo' taking wickets all the time."

The success achieved in the West Indies was a major morale-booster for this inexperienced Proteas squad, especially after having endured a lean period that included defeats to Pakistan both home and away across all three formats.

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Shamsi therefore knows the value of building on the Caribbean series victories with further success here in Ireland in both the ODI and T20I series. Equally, he is fully aware that it's not just for the development of the team but also to regain the confidence of the supporters back home in South Africa.

"It's no secret that we havent had much success in the recent past. We are on a good roll now. That was never in doubt. I have always maintained that we have a special group of players with lots of skill. What we were lacking was experience on the international stage, but that didn't mean the quality wasn't there. We just need to play more games together. We can't get carried away with the success in the West Indies. There is a lot more that the team still needs to learn. But there is a lot happening that's happening behind the scenes, but we are aware of the importance of us winning games along the way as well. We don't like losing. People definitely don't like watching us losing" he explained.

"The only way to build confidence in a team is by winning games. That's the way you realise you doing things the right way. Make our people happy back home as well. That's quite important for us as a team. We haven't forgotten that. We just ask for some patience in return. We definitely trying everything in our power to get the desired results. We just need to go out there and win some games for the country which we pushing hard for. We also know the importance of winning for the people back home to put smiles on their faces."

@ZaahierAdams

IOL Sport

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