We need to talk about Tabraiz Shamsi
Tabraiz Shamsi, the bubbly lad who bowls left-arm wrist-spin and does a lot of crazy celebrations. Ah, he is average. Not that good, is he? Well, a lot has changed in this world over the last few years.
The pandemic has hit us badly, and we have embraced the 'new normal'. Amongst these million or more changes, Shamsi is one of the stories we definitely need to talk about.
Like any wrist spinner in the modern game, Shamsi has his share of ups and downs. Downs, like always, has taken center stage but his ups have not got their due and they need to be acknowledged.
Picking up the Man-of-the-Series award for his stellar performances with the ball, Shamsi had the following to say:
“I am someone who likes to do a lot of homework, behind the scenes and watch a lot of footage.”
For someone who puts so much into his cricket, the rewards were always around the corner and this was a performance to talk about for a very long time.
His numbers in this series have been staggering and for someone bowling against this West Indies line-up, let's just say his figures have been freakish.
7 wickets in 20 overs while bowling at an economy of 4, not too many words can do justice to a performance like this. He recorded a dot ball percent of 57.5, and that against some of the most fearsome names in world cricket.
The series clearly showed that this was not a bowler who was just going through his motions, and it was there for everyone to see. There was a ploy against each and every one of the opposition batsmen.
Pushing it wider from Nicholas Pooran’s arc, bowling it flatter against the might of Andre Russell and some quicker ones against the power of Kieron Pollard, in addition to the cunning deception against Chris Gayle. This was a guy who was outsmarting some of the smartest and most experienced minds this game has seen, with sheer planning and a hunger to be at the top of his game.
Tabraiz Shamsi - the king of the T20I mountain
T20I rankings are to be taken with a pinch of salt, and rightly so. International T20s do not see the best of the competition between bat and ball. Mostly, the big names are rested for workload management reasons and more often than not, you are not playing a full strength side.
Shamsi has definitely done no harm to the world No 1 tag in this series though. Up against one of the toughest opponents you could face in this format at the moment, and he has come out as an absolute champion for his side.
The grouping and major clusters in the chart above are extremely telling, with a wrist spinner offering so much control being all the more impressive. The South African bowling lineup has its concerns but Shamsi has been a shining light. If Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada hit top form along with Shamsi in this sort of rhythm, this attack could pose some tough questions for sides in the World T20.
One of the most fascinating things about Shamsi is his constant urge to keep improving. He spends time behind the scenes working out ways to spin a web around the opposition batters. Shamsi has done well to make the most of video and data analysis, and the results are there for all to see.
It’s good to see someone who is a real hard grinder pick up rewards. These stories act as a motivation for many that you can always improve, with the right process in place. Shamsi’s story is one that needs to be told and retold, for it could serve as an example to an up-and-coming cricketer that all is never lost.