Tabraiz Shamsi of the Paarl Royals. Picture: Supplied
With just one day to go until the start of the inaugural SA20 competition, Proteas spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has expressed his excitement about the new league.
Shamsi, who not too long ago was the world’s number one bowler in T20 cricket, will play for the Paarl Royals and their opening game is on Tuesday in Cape Town against the “PSG” of the league, MI Cape Town.
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“Obviously they’ve assembled a very good squad just like we have,” said Shamsi about the Cape Town-based side that includes Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Jofra Archer and young Dewald Brevis.
“There’s a joke going around that says they’re the PSG (the star-studded Paris Saint-Germain football club) of SA20, so in a way, it’s all eyes on them.
“I think they are the ones who are expected to win this whole thing and blow everyone out of the park. So yeah, we are just going to carry on doing our own thing and follow our processes, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge and expect a tough game on Tuesday.”
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The Royals field a mean team as well. Besides Shamsi, coach JP Duminiy can call on the likes of captain David Miller, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Lungi Ngidi.
Shamsi said it was nice to be part of the Royals family again, having played for the Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals previously.
“It’s really nice to be back with the Royals franchise, having played in the IPL as well. At the Paarl Royals, I think we’ve got a good squad which is very balanced with the right mix of youth and experience.
“The other aspect is that we have a lot of winners in our team, who have won big titles around the world, whether it’s the World Cup or the IPL for instance, so that experience counts a lot in those pressure situations.”
The Proteas spinner added he was looking forward to the challenge of going up against some of the best batters in the game, on different South African wickets.
“I am somebody who really enjoys the challenge. There is obviously a responsibility for each player and that’s the reason we find ourselves in these high-performance teams. Playing over the years, I’ve also realized that it won’t be your day every day, but I always try to give my best and want to be the guy that can help get the win for the team.
“I think we will get a mix of everything with different grounds helping seamers and spinners. If I look at the six venues that will be used, I think three will help seam and three will help spin. So, there’s going to be a good balance between bat and ball as well around the grounds, and we can expect some entertaining games.”
Tuesday’s opener starts at 5.30pm.
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