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Shamsi sets sights on more than Test debut
- Updated: October 10, 2016
Twelve hours after his career-best 3 for 36 in his first ODI at home, wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi was named in South Africa’s Test squad. And he wasn’t letting much on.
“Test cricket is one of my aspirations so if I get an opportunity, I will take it on board and see how it goes,” Shamsi told reporters in Port Elizabeth.
The next morning, Shamsi’s dream came true. As one of two uncapped spinners in the squad and the one with international experience, Shamsi is more likely to debut in Australia than Keshav Maharaj, Dolphins’ left-arm spinner who is also in the squad. His first-class numbers suggest that he could be successful both as a wicket-taker and as a holding bowler if needed.
Statistically, Shamsi has managed to combine the roles well. In the 2013-14 season when playing for Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland, Shamsi was the third-highest wicket-taker in the provincial three-day competition. He took 47 wickets at 20.02 and at an economy of 3.20. Last season, his breakthrough summer in franchise cricket, he finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the Sunfoil Series, South Africa’s first-class competition, with 41 scalps at 19.97 and an economy of 3.29.
Shamsi’s variations caught the eyes of the IPL, …
