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90mph showdown
RABADA - WHY PACE SELLS [ P10, 11 ]
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
SOUTH AFRICA V ENGLAND T20 SERIES 1st T20: Friday, Newlands, Cape Town (6pm) 2nd T20: Sunday, Boland Park, Paarl (2.30pm) 3rd T20: Tuesday, December 1, Newlands, Cape Town (6pm) South Africa v England ODI series 1st ODI: Friday, December 4, Newlands, Cape Town (1pm) 2nd ODI: Sunday, December 6, Boland Park, Paarl (10am) 3rd ODI: Wednesday, December 9, Newlands, Cape Town (1pm)
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CONTENTS [ 6]
NOVEMBER 2020
[8]
[ 12 ]
[ 22 ]
[ 24 ]
COVER STORY Watching Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer terrorise batsmen over the next few weeks is going to be tantalising. [ 6 & 7 ]
EDITOR’S LETTER Cricket this summer is COVER STAR: Anyone who watched Kagiso Rabada at the recent IPL would quickly ascertain that the fire in his belly was back. PHOTOS: BackpagePix, Reuters, African News Agency (ANA)
going to be a lot different than we are used to. [ 5 ]
PROTEAS RECAP A look back at how SA
GENERATION NEXT The fresh future of the Proteas: Kyle Verreynne. [ 16 ]
HOMECOMING Dawid Malan back where it all started. [ 18 ]
fared when they last played. [ 6 ]
SIMPLY THE BEST Why Ben Stokes is the
SILENT BUT DEADLY Quinton de Kock prefers to let his batting do the talking. [ 20 ]
greatest match-winner out there. [ 8 ]
PACE WARS Kagiso Rabada and Jofra
BIO-BUBBLE BLUES The new normal will not be easy on the Proteas. [ 22 ]
Archer get ready to rough up batsmen. [ 10 ]
THE FUTURE IS NOW Janneman Malan is
TURNING THE TABLES Tabraiz Shamsi is
the new leader of Proteas spin attack. [ 24 ]
part of a new brigade of Proteas youngsters. [ 12 ]
DESIGN: Matthys Moss
QUICK LEARNER Lutho Sipamla will provide much-needed depth in the SA fast bowling department. [ 14 ]
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CRICKET’S BACK
BRING IT ON!
NEWLANDS Cricket Ground PHOTOS: Flickr.com
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Proteas at last have the chance to flash their bats and bend their backs again It’s summer time so it must be cricket time right? Of course it is, even if the cricket this summer is going to be a lot different than we are used to. The devastating effect of Covid-19 is still being felt across the world, so the South African and England teams are preparing in a bio-bubble and there will be no fans at the grounds. But we are just happy that the tour is going ahead as planned, and that our beloved Proteas will at last have the chance to flash their bats and bend their backs again. There is so much to look forward to. Our cover story alone, the “pace war” between Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer, is enough to send any cricket fan’s pulse off the charts. We hope you enjoy the stories produced for this special edition by our ace cricket writers Stuart Hess and Zaahier Adams. May it be a warm and beautiful summer for all of us.
Ian Smit EXECUTIVE EDITOR, SPORT
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LESSONS LEARNT
Remember that series win over the Aussies? SA batting order may have a unique look to it for a few years WORDS: STUART HESS
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LESSONS LEARNT
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OUTH AFRICA did win their last three one-day international matches before the national lockdown, all against Australia. It was an ODI series that gave a proper look at the future – and it’s a future that could include three wicketkeeper-batsmen in the top five. Quinton de Kock as captain is not interested in giving up the gloves, and in Heinrich Klaasen, who finished as the top scorer against Australia and Kyle Verreynne, who showed plenty of composure in the middle order, the Proteas batting order may have a unique look to it for a few years. The national team’s management would like to see Janneman Malan, who lit up that series with a fine century in the second ODI in Bloemfontein, build on that performance and cement his spot alongside De Kock at the top of the order. Depth remains a concern in the batting, which is why it’s crucial that Andile Phehlukwayo improves his consistency in the next 12 months as one of the team’s seam bowling all-rounders. The bowling has no such problem, as there are plenty of options, which will allow for rest and rotation and also allow for good competition. It’s worth remembering that the series win against the Australians was achieved without Kagiso Rabada. A trio of Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi is a mouthwatering prospect as the limited-overs side seeks to refine its identity ahead of the big ICC tournaments coming up over the next few years. Beuran Hendricks and Lutho Sipamla will be waiting on their sidelines for their chance.
TOP LEFT: JJ Smuts celebrates taking the wicket of Alex Carey in the third ODI in Potchefstroom. SA beat Australia 3-0 in the ODI series. TOP: David Warner reacts. ABOVE: The Proteas celebrate the wicket of Aaron Finch. PHOTOS: Siphiwe Sibeko; Reuters
HOW THE SERIES AGAINST AUSTRALIA UNFOLDED 1st ODI South Africa 291/7 (H Klaasen 123*, D Miller 64, K Verreynne 48) Australia 217 (S Smith 76, M Labuschagne 41. L Ngidi 3/30) SA won by 74 runs. MoM: Klaasen 2nd ODI Australia 271
(A Finch 69, D Short 69. L Ngidi 6/58) South Africa 274/4 (J Malan 129*, H Klaasen 51) SA won by 6 wickets. MoM: Malan 3rd ODI Australia 254/7 (M Labuschagne 108) South Africa 258/4 (JJ Smuts 84, K Verreynne 50, H Klaasen 68*) SA won by 6 wickets. MoM: Smuts. PoS: Klaasen
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SUPERMAN
No match is over while Ben is on the field
Stokes one of the greats WORDS: STUART HESS
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S there a better match-winner in cricket at the moment than Ben Stokes? No, there isn’t. No match is over while this man is on the field. The Australians and New Zealanders can attest to his batting prowess, which came in a crucial Ashes Test and in the World Cup final respectively last year. He has battered South Africa in the Test format – plundering runs and famously at Newlands last year producing a brutal spell late on the final day to earn his team a Test win. The T20 format – which is the only part of the tour he will be involved in SA – hasn’t always been kind to Stokes and most famously it was his final over in the 2016 T20
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World Cup final that allowed everyone to remember the name, Carlos Brathwaite. But those are the stakes Stokes likes playing with; he wants to be involved in any match’s most critical moments, he thrives on them and more often than not emerges victorious with his reputation enhanced. There has naturally been plenty of debate about where he ranks in the pantheon of great all-rounders, such has been his impact on the international game. It is a debate best had when he retires, but the fact that he is in the conversation with still a significant portion of his career left to play out suggests we are in the midst of witnessing one of the sport’s greatest players.
SUPERMAN LEFT: Ben Stokes wants to be involved in the most critical moments of a match. CENTRE: The T20 format hasn’t always been kind to Ben Stokes. FAR LEFT: We are in the midst of witnessing one of the sport’s greatest players .
PHOTOS: BackpagePix
RECORD VS SA IN T20 INTERNATIONALS: P 6 W 3 L3 Batting: 100 runs, HS - 47*, Strike Rate - 147.05 Bowling: Five wickets, BB - 2/35, Economy Rate - 8.27 Fielding: Five catches
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COVER STORY
WHY PACE SELLS Rabada v Archer promises to be the 90mph showdown that could decide both series WORDS: ZAAHIER ADAMS CRICKET’S BACK [ 10 ]
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COVER STORY LEFT: Kagiso Rabada is hungry again. RIGHT: The English media haver dubbed Jofra Archer ‘King Jofra’. PHOTOS: BackpagePix
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XCITEMENT always abounds when there are genuine fast bowlers on the scene. Perhaps it’s the innate caveman instinct within all of us that gets the adrenalin pumping. The unadulterated thrills of watching a hunter attack its prey with full gusto. And when those fast men resemble thoroughbreds such as South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer, who are set to go head to head over the next month, it is simply tantalising. Although Rabada is 54 days younger than Barbados-born Archer, he is undisputedly the senior statesman. The South African spearhead has played 140 international matches already for the Proteas, dating back to his T20 international debut in 2014 against Australia. He has already worn the mantle of the World No 1 fast bowler. Archer, meanwhile, only qualified for England last year ahead of the World Cup on home soil and has accumulated 32 caps across all formats since. However, it was during that World Cup that Archer obtained immortality. While Rabada failed to live up his much-hyped pre-tournament billing, it was Archer who fast developed into the poster boy alongside maverick all-rounder Ben Stokes for the host nation. Archer was devastating from the outset. In the opening game against the Proteas at the Oval he felled veteran Hashim Amla with a rapid bouncer. The blow seemed to signify just how far SA were off the pace. He continued to deliver searing rockets at great intensity, accuracy and aggression. Furthermore, he also showed he had the temperament to close out the biggest of all matches, the World Cup final before a roaring Lord’s crowd, when he held his nerve in an epic Super Over to drive England to their first ever 50-over crown. The English media, never fearful of lauding their own, immediately dubbed him “King Jofra”. Rabada, meanwhile, was at a crossroads that culminated
in him being banned for the final Test against England at the Wanderers in January this year. The messiah of SA cricket. The golden child. The chosen one, who carried the hopes of the entire Rainbow Nation every time he started his galloping run-up, had discovered that the world does indeed owe him nothing. He needed to fight for something he wanted for the first time in his life. The Covid-19 break enforced a period of self introspection, and Rabada went away and tried to rediscover the passion that made him such a feared entity. Anyone who watched Rabada at the recent IPL would quickly ascertain that the fire in his belly was back. Rabada was hungry again, which is the fuel that drives every great fast bowler. “The Gautrain” was once again entangled in a dual with Archer for the purple cap – the prize handed to the leading wicket-taker in the IPL. On this occasion, it was Rabada who came up trumps. Like the challenges Rabada faces in trying to operate within the framework of the ICC’s stringent rules and regulations without dousing the passion for his craft, Archer faces his own demons. A natural socialite Archer has struggled with the bio-bubble environment cricketers have to contend with during this “new-normal” period in the game. He has stated numerously that it’s been “mentally challenging” and that “you do sometimes feel like you hit a wall.” In fact, Archer was banned for the second Test against the West Indies in July this year due to breaching England’s bio-bubble regulations after taking a detour home to Brighton between matches. Perhaps these brushes with the authorities are a reminder to all of us that they are both still only 25-years-old. And that, in fact, their best is yet to come.
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GENERATION NEXT
The fresh future of the Proteas: Janneman Malan Malan going all out to put his best foot forward WORDS: ZAAHIER ADAMS
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GENERATION NEXT
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VERY cricketer dreams of their one-day international debut with the fairy tale ending of hitting the winnings runs. Very few imagine the beginning. And even less the prospect of being dismissed for a first-ball duck. Well, Janneman Malan’s worst fears were realised when it became his reality against Australia at Boland Park in February. The nightmare was even more horrific because it was also the first ball of the innings – with Malan now the holder of arguably the most unwanted record in cricket history. Lesser individuals would surely have cracked. But Malan is a dragonslayer, at least that’s how his brother Andre – also a provincial cricketer – refers to him. And the only way to counter the fire-breathing trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood is to look them straight in the eye. That’s exactly what Malan did in the next game in Bloemfontein where he responded with a cracking 129 not out to seal a memorable ODI series win for the Proteas. Unfortunately Malan has yet to build on the maiden century due to South Africa’s tour to India being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, he missed out on the opportunity of sampling the English bowlers after his contract with Leicestershire scheduled for the past off-season was cancelled too due to Covid-19. All of these events have, though, only made Malan hungrier to prove that he forms part of a burgeoning young Proteas brigade ready to take over the mantle from Messrs De Villiers, Amla and Du Plessis. He does face a battle with Temba Bavuma to partner Quinton de Kock at the top of order, but should he be afforded further opportunities against Eoin Morgan’s world champions, rest assured that Malan will be going all out to put his best foot forward. MADE FOR MZANSI Malan has dominated the Mzansi Super League since its inception two seasons ago. He has the second most runs in the tournament – 663 in 18 innings – and has the joint third highest score of 99 not out in the 2019-20 tournament opener at Newlands. The Cape Town Blitz star has also blasted the most Mzansi Super League sixes – one more than his opening partner Quinton de Kock’s 29.
JANNEMAN MALAN SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKETER Born: April 18, 1996 (age 24 years), Nelspruit, South Africa ODI debut: (cap 137): 29 February 2020 v Australia Last ODI: 7 March 2020 v Australia T20 debut: (cap 79): 3 February 2019 v Pakistan Last T20: 6 February 2019 v Pakistan Bowling: Right-arm leg break LEFT & ABOVE: Janneman Malan, seen here talking to Zaahier Adams, is hungry to prove that he forms part of a burgeoning young Proteas brigade. PHOTOS: BackpagePix
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GENERATION NEXT
Sipamla will be an important cog in Proteas wheel Lutho is the poster child for what the Mzansi Super League is capable of producing WORDS: STUART HESS
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GENERATION NEXT
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UTHO SIPAMLA is the poster child for what the Mzansi Super League is capable of producing for South African cricket. Sipamla was just 19 when he was drafted by the Tshwane Spartans for the inaugural Mzansi Super League in 2018. A talented young fast bowler from Port Elizabeth that tournament was supposed to be about learning his game, while training with AB de Villiers and Eoin Morgan. Instead an injury to Lungi Ngidi before the competition started, meant Sipamla was thrust into a starting role and so well did he perform, that he became indispensable. A 19-year-old, learning on the fly about “death” bowling, about where not to bowl to Quinton de Kock in full flight, about how to change pace, use his height better to get bounce off the surface and simply grow up. He did all of that so well that by the end of the season he made his senior international debut. Sipamla will become an important part of the Proteas team over the next few years particularly with rest and rotation being more regularly used with a heavy international schedule. He has the chance to break into the limited-overs team with an eye on some big tournaments coming up, and will provide much needed depth in the fast bowling department.
MAIN LEFT: Lutho Sipamla was indispensable for the Tshwane Spartans in 2018. TOP: Lutho Sipamla made his Proteas debut in a T20 against Pakistan last year. PHOTOS: BackpagePix
LUTHO SIPAMLA SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKETER 2018 MSL - Matches - 10. Bowling: 16 wickets, BB- 3/19, Econ Rate - 8.89, Average - 20.09 INTERNATIONAL CAREER: ODIs: Matches - 4. 2 Wickets, BB - 1/40, Econ Rate - 5.01, Average - 61 T20I: Matches - 5. Bowling: 4 wickets, BB - 2/22, Econ Rate - 8.36, Average - 32.75.
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GENERATION NEXT
Verreynne certainly has everyone talking Kyle has a good ‘touch game’ and the power to clear the fence at will WORDS: ZAAHIER ADAMS
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GENERATION NEXT
Favourite player: Mr 360 AB de Villiers Favourite shot: The on-drive. “When I play that I feel like my game is in sync.” Toughest bowler faced: Imran Tahir. “I only lasted three balls!” Favourite movie: Grown Ups Favourite musician: Ed Sheeran (laughs) LEFT & ABOVE: Kyle Verreynne is the new hero of Wynberg Boys. PHOTOS: BackpagePix
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OR so many years Wynberg Boys’ High School has been synonymous with Jacques Kallis. It’s like Bishops and Herschelle Gibbs. It’s ingrained into the school culture with every young cricketer who walks the hallowed halls dreaming of one day emulating the legendary Proteas all-rounder. But now Wynberg Boys has a new hero. He might only be 23 with still a long road ahead of him, but Kyle Verreynne certainly has everyone talking. The wicketkeeper-batsman has excelled in his first few years of domestic cricket playing for the Cape Cobras, boasting averages of 51.52 and 35.76 in first-class and one-day cricket respectively. It was particularly his form in the 2018-19 OneDay Cup, when he spanked 453 runs, including a career-best 114 not out, at an average of 64.71 that set him on his path to a Proteas debut last season. Verreynne played an integral part in restoring the Proteas’ confidence after a torrid home summer, by striking a composed 48 on debut against Australia at Boland Park before following it up a
maiden half-century in the third and final ODI in Potchefstroom. Although possessing just a slight frame, Verreynne proved that looks can be deceiving by showing off not only his “touch game” but that he also possesses the power to clear the fence at will. Having grown up idolising Quinton de Kock, and then realising that the Proteas white-ball captain is only a few years older than him, Verreynne is fully aware that the path to a place behind the stumps of the national team is virtually a closed shop. It is for this reason that he knows he needs to double up the ante with the willow if he wants to be considered purely as a specialist batsman. It’s a discussion he regularly has with his Cobras coach, and arguably biggest fan and critic, Ashwell Prince. “Ashwell was the one who told me if I want to play for South Africa, I would have to be able to make sure I can get picked purely as a batsman,” Verreynne said.
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FROM SOUTH AFRICA WITH LOVE
ABOVE: England’s immense depth at the top of the order has unfortunately seen Dawid Malan play only sporadically over the years. PHOTOS: BackpagePix CRICKET’S BACK [ 18 ]
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FROM SOUTH AFRICA WITH LOVE
Top-ranked Malan comes back home Dawid’s Journey: From Paarl all the way to Lord’s and right up to No 1 T20 batsman in the world WORDS: ZAAHIER ADAMS
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AWID Malan’s pathway to international cricket has certainly not been conventional. Although born in Roehampton, just five minutes away from Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Malan certainly had a better chance of becoming the next Carel du Plessis than Andy Murray. This was, of course, due to his father, Dawid Malan Snr, shipping off his young family to the Paarl vineyards. Malan Jnr loved every minute of growing up under the African sun. The rich sporting culture at Paarl Boys’ High School was a perfect fit, with Malan developing into a fine left-handed batsman. A first-class career with local union Boland was the logical trajectory. But then fate intervened. Utilising the privilege of his British heritage, Malan escaped the South African winter to play and coach in the local London leagues. It was on one such jaunt in 2006 that Middlesex legend Clive Radley, and former coach of MCC Young Cricketers, spotted the precocious 20-year-old playing for Teddington Cricket Club. “The first ball he faced he clipped it for four through square leg and I thought I was watching Graeme Pollock,” Radley said at the time. Malan had earned a passage back to his place of birth, with Boland Park traded for Lord’s – his new cricket home after penning a county contract with Middlesex. Although he made an early impression with a scintillating 51-ball 103 in the T20 Blast, it was not the springboard to international stardom but instead the start of an 11-year apprenticeship that finally culminated with an England
T20 debut against South Africa in 2017. Deputising for rested England captain Eoin Morgan in the Cardiff series decider, Malan blasted 78 off just 44 balls – a record for an Englishman on his T20 debut. England’s immense depth at the top of the order has unfortunately seen Malan playing only sporadically over the subsequent four years, but he has still managed to amass a potent T20 record consisting of 682 runs from 16 matches, with an average of 48.71 and strike-rate of 146.66. In fact, Malan’s numbers are so good he will return to the playgrounds of his childhood as the No 1 ranked T20 batsman in the world.
MALAN: THE GLOBETROTTER 12: The overall number of T20 franchises Malan has represented. 4: Bangladesh Premier League teams Barisal Bulls, Dhaka Dynamites, Khulna Titans, Cumilla Warriors 3: Pakistan Super League teams Peshawar Zalmi, Qalandars, Islamabad United 2: Mzansi Super League teams Cape Town Blitz and Nelson Mandela Bay Stars 2: T20 Blast teams Middlesex and Yorkshire 1: Big Bash League team Hobart Hurricanes 0: IPL teams
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KEEP IT SIMPLE
Quinton could just be the leader a young dressing-room needs De Kock operates by feel and is happy to follow his gut WORDS: STUART HESS
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UINNY’S unique, and that uniqueness can work wonders in a dressing-room like this, because we’ve got a unique set up as well. I’m happy with how he’s been so far and he will probably grow to be a lot better as well.” – Mark Boucher on 9 February 2020. Quinton de Kock had just completed his first ODI series as captain of the Proteas, and topped the run-scoring charts in a rain reduced series against England when the Proteas coach spoke those words. De Kock was definitely a surprise choice as captain, but that’s because for the majority outside the South African team environment he can appear absent-minded. De Kock doesn’t say much, never has and doesn’t like talking about cricket when cricket is finished. But he has got what many, including Boucher, describe as a “smart cricket brain,” and importantly in a young dressing-room he is someone everyone else gets along with comfortably. How that translates into performances on the field will only really be seen in the next year or so as SA take on the T20 World Cup and sets their eyes on the 50-over World Cup in 2023. De Kock operates by feel, but that doesn’t mean he can’t analyse what’s happening. He is happy to follow his gut as he showed with a few “designer” field placings in the ODIs against England. Initially at least it seems the captaincy hasn’t been too much of a burden, robbing him of output with the bat. That is absolutely crucial while a young batting line-up continue to learn the ropes at the highest level.
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ABOVE & RIGHT: Quinton de Kock doesn’t say much, but has a smart cricket brain. PHOTOS: BackpagePix
QUINTON DE KOCK (LIMITED-OVERS NUMBERS)
KEEP IT SIMPLE
ODIs 121 Matches. Batting: 5135 runs. HS - 178, Strike-rate - 94.84, Average - 44.65 Fielding: Catches: 164, Stumpings: 9. T20s 44 Matches. Batting: 1226 runs. HS - 79 not out, Strike-rate: 136.07, Average: 31.43. Fielding: Catches - 39, Stumpings - 11. Record as captain: ODIs - P 8 W4 L3 No Result 1 T20s - P 8 W 3 L 5.
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THE NEW NORMAL
ABOVE & RIGHT: England have plenty of experience living in a bio-bubble having played a full home season under the conditions earlier this year. PHOTOS: Leon Lestrade, African News Agency (ANA)
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THE NEW NORMAL
Life in a bubble WORDS: STUART HESS
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OR the majority of South Africa’s men’s team, the series against England will be their first experience of playing, training and living in a bio-secure environment. Initially the comfy surrounds of the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, may seem nice, but 24 days of isolated living may start to wear thin as the series winds down. And then they will have to do it all over again for the home series against Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan and for the tour to Pakistan, planned for late January where there will be a “bio bubble” on top of a heavy “security bubble” as well. For those not involved in the IPL, the novelty factor might energise them for the few weeks that the 50-over world champions are in SA, but it is what happens weeks and months down the line, as the Proteas catch up on their schedule, that is concerning. “This is unchartered territory,” said SA Cricketers’ Association chief executive Andrew Breetzke. The first of three T20 internationals between the Proteas and England takes place at Newlands on Friday, starting a very busy programme for the men’s national team, that will include three ODIs against England, a pair of Tests over the festive season against Sri Lanka, a tour to Pakistan, a home series against Australia and a limited-overs series against Pakistan next April, in SA. That’s a lot of tough cricket in a short space of time, all in a bio-secure environment that will put firm restrictions on players’ movements and who they can interact with. The psychological effects are something no one can predict. “It’s going to be a massive challenge,” said sports psychologist, Henning Gericke, who worked with the Proteas at the 2011 World Cup. “Some players will cope better than others, but it’s going to ask a lot of the management; they will need to be creative about how they get families involved through modern technology and ensure that there is a good balance throughout the day so that it’s not just cricket, cricket, cricket.”
BUBBLE BUSINESS THREE Islands, is what Dr Shuaib Manjra, Cricket South Africa’s chief medical officer is calling the Vineyard Hotel, where the players are staying, and Newlands and Boland Park, where the matches are taking place. BRIDGES Basically the bridge between the three islands, are the busses and kombis. Everywhere there willl be hand sanitiser, with players also given their own sanitiser. LESSONS Dr Manjra admits that CSA, looked at a variety of leagues; the IPL, NBA, Bundesliga and La Liga among others and “culled the best practices from those.” 100 The number of people who will be in the official “bubble”. That includes players, management, officials and hotel staff. 24 Days, in the bubble. For the SA management team, the “bubble” started last Monday. The England team arrived the following day and the Proteas went into the bubble last Wednesday. EATING Unlike the NBA, which was held at Disney World and players had to live off room service, a restaurant has been made available at the hotel. It has been divided into three sections – one for England, one for SA and one and one for the officials Seating in each zone is physically distant. ROOMS Each player has his own room.
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THE PRINCE OF SPIN
Shamsi ready to take over Tahir’s throne as SA’s No 1 spinner Tabraiz is raring to have a crack at England
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WORDS: ZAAHIER ADAMS
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OOK, every cricketer is going to say that he just wants to focus on the next game and do his best in it and from there everything will run its course. But, let’s be honest. It’s a World Cup. And being part of a World Cup is a special feeling. “It doesn’t come around every year. I’ve had a taste of it in England in 2019, and although as a team we never performed to our abilities, just being at a World Cup is something really special. The fact that’s it is going to be in India, where cricket’s a religion, makes me want to be part of it even more.” Tabraiz Shamsi was, of course, referring to next year’s T20 World Cup in India. It may still be a year away, but the Proteas’ left-arm wrist-spinner has clearly set his sights on being at the tournament. He has every reason to believe that he should be too. Although Imran “Mr Miyagi” Tahir, 41, is theoretically still available for T20 internationals, Shamsi is the new leader of the Proteas’ spin assault. He has certainly matched Tahir for celebrations already, with anything from a magic red-ribbon trick to ripping off his boot to make a call all part of the fun. Shamsi is raring to have a crack at the English, and is especially enjoying his role under new white-ball captain Quinton de Kock. “My game has been evolving with Quinny’s captaincy. He is using me a bit differently now ... it’s helped me grow,” Shamsi said. Shamsi’s personal battle with England’s spin guru Adil Rashid is also certainly a mouth-watering prospect to look forward to. Rashid has been Eoin Morgan’s go-to man in white-ball cricket for the last few years, and was an integral
RIGHT: Tabraiz Shamsi has certainly matched Imran Tahir for celebrations. PHOTOS: BackpagePix
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part of their World Cup triumph last year. Shamsi, though, is in red-hot form having already claimed 15 scalps in just three 4-Day Franchise Series matches this season and is primed for a battle royale.
IS SHAMSI SA CRICKET’S HOUDINI? “I’ve always been interested in magic and had a lot of fun with it. Growing up, I was always trying to learn, along with the cricket. Right up until the age of 15, when cricket took over. I just think it’s important to try and bring the crowd into it, and the celebrations are just a bit of fun.” – Shamsi
