Shamsi included in South Africa's squad for tri-series in West Indies
Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing Indian Premier League, has been picked in South Africa's squad for the upcoming tri-series involving West Indies and Australia. Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the 15-man squad to be led by AB de Villiers on Friday (May 6).
The other notable inclusions, apart from the uncapped chinaman bowler who has gained reputation following successful stints in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the IPL, in the 15-man squad are pacers, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell. Dale Steyn, who has been going through a lean patch, has been rested from the side.
Shamsi, who is yet to play an international match, has taken 44 wickets in 42 List A matches. He was also the highest wicket-taker among spinners during the 2015-16 domestic first-class season, apart from bagging 11 wickets in 7 CPL matches at an average of 13.27 for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots last year.
"We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side," Linda Zondi, CSA selection committee convener, said.
Speaking about Shamsi's selection, Zondi added, "Tabraiz has certainly earned his call-up following outstanding form both in our domestic cricket and in some of the major domestic T20 leagues including the Caribbean Premier League. He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen.
"I am quite excited about the state of our spin bowling and the variety we have. We are sending two wrist spinners to the Caribbean plus left-arm and right-arm finger spin options. Spin bowling is becoming an increasingly important part of both limited overs formats and we are only just over a year away from the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England."
Zondi also clarified that Steyn has been rested in order to preserve the veteran pacer for the longer format. "In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour. He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead with home and away series against New Zealand, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away Test series in Australia which is where we need to perform," Zondi added.
"He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year."
Faf du Plessis, who suffered a broken finger before being ruled out of the IPL, has been included in the side. Explaining the condition, Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa's team manager said, "Faf sustained a broken left ring finger during the IPL two weeks ago and had fixation surgery to repair the bone tip this Tuesday in Cape Town. The surgery was a success and we are expecting a period of between four to five weeks for a full recovery. At this stage, we are targeting for him to return to action for our second ODI against Australia on June 7.
Parnell will be returning to the South African side for the first time since the 2015 World Cup. "Wayne has the ability to become a quality all-rounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form," Zondi added.
As per the current One-Day International (ODI) Rankings, South Africa are placed third on the table, two spots below Australia and five above West Indies. The tri-series is set to begin on June 3, when South Africa will take on hosts West Indies.
South Africa squad:
Shamsi included in South Africa's squad for tri-series in West Indies - Cricbuzz
Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing Indian Premier League, has been picked in South Africa's squad for the upcoming tri-series involving West Indies and Australia. Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the 15-man squad to be led by AB de Villiers on Friday (May 6).
The other notable inclusions, apart from the uncapped chinaman bowler who has gained reputation following successful stints in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the IPL, in the 15-man squad are pacers, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell. Dale Steyn, who has been going through a lean patch, has been rested from the side.
Shamsi, who is yet to play an international match, has taken 44 wickets in 42 List A matches. He was also the highest wicket-taker among spinners during the 2015-16 domestic first-class season, apart from bagging 11 wickets in 7 CPL matches at an average of 13.27 for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots last year.
"We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side," Linda Zondi, CSA selection committee convener, said.
Speaking about Shamsi's selection, Zondi added, "Tabraiz has certainly earned his call-up following outstanding form both in our domestic cricket and in some of the major domestic T20 leagues including the Caribbean Premier League. He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen.
"I am quite excited about the state of our spin bowling and the variety we have. We are sending two wrist spinners to the Caribbean plus left-arm and right-arm finger spin options. Spin bowling is becoming an increasingly important part of both limited overs formats and we are only just over a year away from the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England."
Zondi also clarified that Steyn has been rested in order to preserve the veteran pacer for the longer format. "In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour. He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead with home and away series against New Zealand, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away Test series in Australia which is where we need to perform," Zondi added.
"He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year."
Faf du Plessis, who suffered a broken finger before being ruled out of the IPL, has been included in the side. Explaining the condition, Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa's team manager said, "Faf sustained a broken left ring finger during the IPL two weeks ago and had fixation surgery to repair the bone tip this Tuesday in Cape Town. The surgery was a success and we are expecting a period of between four to five weeks for a full recovery. At this stage, we are targeting for him to return to action for our second ODI against Australia on June 7.
Parnell will be returning to the South African side for the first time since the 2015 World Cup. "Wayne has the ability to become a quality all-rounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form," Zondi added.
As per the current One-Day International (ODI) Rankings, South Africa are placed third on the table, two spots below Australia and five above West Indies. The tri-series is set to begin on June 3, when South Africa will take on hosts West Indies.
South Africa squad:
- AB de Villiers (capt),
- Kyle Abbott,
- Hashim Amla,
- Farhaan Behardien,
- Quinton de Kock,
- JP Duminy,
- Faf du Plessis,
- Imran Tahir,
- Morne Morkel,
- Chris Morris,
- Wayne Parnell,
- Aaron Phangiso,
- Kagiso Rabada,
- Rilee Rossouw,
- Tabraiz Shamsi
Shamsi included in South Africa's squad for tri-series in West Indies - Cricbuzz
