"I had so much abuse hurled at me" - Tabraiz Shamsi recalls aftermath of his shoe celebration during 2nd T20I against India
South Africa's limited-overs specialist Tabraiz Shamsi recently stated that he received online abuse from Indian fans for his shoe celebration during the recent 2nd T20I against India in Gqeberha. The left-arm wrist-spinner said that people even targeted his wife and family, and the situation got way out of hand.
Shamsi performed his celebration, where he holds his shoe to his ear as if on a call, after dismissing Surykumar Yadav in the 2nd T20I for 56 runs. He took to his official handle on X (formerly Twitter) later and clarified that he meant no disrespect towards the batter.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Shamsi stated that the behaviour by the Indian fans was totally uncalled for, elaborating:
"People took it in a negative way; they thought it was disrespectful. I had so much abuse hurled at me. It was probably the worst it's ever been. There was also abuse hurled at my wife. I didn't appreciate that. It's uncalled for. It's fine if you want to have a dig at the players, but to involve family and say nasty things, that pushes it to another level."
The 33-year-old bowled exceptionally well in the rain-marred encounter, finishing with figures of 4-0-18-1. The Proteas later won the game by five wickets, chasing down a revised target with seven balls to spare.
"I feel that if players don't say anything about it, then people think they have free licence" - Tabraiz Shamsi
Talking about online abuse that athletes receive from fans, Shamsi stated that more cricketers should take a stand against such behaviour. He added:
"I feel that if players don't say anything about it, then people think they have free licence. More people need to speak up and say it's not OK. Yes, we're all trying our best. Yes, your team might not win or you might not agree with certain things. But you need to behave like a human being. You can't carry on like an animal."
Known for being vocal about his beliefs, the Proteas spinner recently also questioned the ICC for stopping Usman Khawaja from wearing shoes to support Palestine victims amid their conflict with Israel in the Gaza strip.