Batsmen are under more pressure in T20Is as they have to entertain, says SA spinner Tabraiz Shasmi

The conventional wisdom in T20 cricket is that it is the batsman who dominates it from the word go. The pyro-techniques and the assisting rules help the willow-wielders at the expense of the bowlers who are frequently whacked in the four overs that they deliver. However, South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi also agrees that T20 is a batsman-friendly format but thinks that it also keeps them under pressure for it is bowlers like him who are there to “spoil the party”.

The chinaman bowler who is currently in India to play in the T20I series, featured in the second game in Mohali after the first one was washed out in Dharamsala. Shamsi ended up conceding 19 runs in three overs and took the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan that broke his crucial partnership with the Man of the Match Virat Kohli. South Africa though lost the game by seven wickets.

The 29-year-old bowler is now looking forward to making a significant contribution that would see the Proteas draw the series in Bengaluru on Sunday. The Chinnaswamy Stadium used to be Shamsi’s ‘home ground’ a few seasons ago when he sported the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) jersey in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Bowlers are here just to spoil the party

“I feel it puts all the more pressure on the batsman to go out there and do what people want to see. So as bowlers, we are just there to spoil the party and make sure that we execute our plans well,” India Today cited reports quoting the South African as saying in an interview. Tabraiz Shamsi has played in two Tests and 17 ODIs besides 15 T20Is and has taken 36 international wickets since making debut in 2016.

“Chinnaswamy is a small stadium and I mean it’s a T20 series, so people obviously are coming there to see batsmen hit fours and sixes. They are not there to see you bowl a maiden over and that’s what it’s all about,” he added. Shamsi also acknowledged that his stint at the RCB where he got to rub shoulders with the likes of Kohli and Chris Gayle helped him to grow as a cricketer.

With Imran Tahir no more around in the team as a regular member, Tabraiz Shamsi has an opportunity to establish himself as the Proteas’ main spinner though the latter sees it as a challenge more than responsibility.

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