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“When the leagues first started, they were seen in a bad light, but when you play in different leagues, you pick up little bits of golden nuggets”
Tabraiz Shamsi – “As a youngster playing in the CPL before I made my debut for the Proteas in West Indies helped me feel so relaxed” • Associated Press
Embracing T20 leagues as a feeder system for international cricket, instead of viewing franchise tournaments and bilateral matches as being in conflict with each other, will benefit both forms of the game, according to South Africa wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi.
Speaking after South Africa beat India by five wickets in Gqeberha, with both teams fielding experimental XIs, Shamsi emphasised that leagues can help to create more players who are ready for international cricket and allow for skill sharing.
“When the leagues first started, they were seen in a bad light in the sense that it was all about players wanting to earn money. But when you play in different leagues, you pick up little bits of golden nuggets,” Shamsi said. “We are so used to doing things a certain way in South Africa, as are other countries, so you pick up bits and pieces of what other other people do slightly differently and you try that for yourself. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t and you improve as a player. Guys go and get more experience, and it gives other players and it widens the pool.”
The best example of that is Shamsi himself. He was playing in the second tier of South Africa’s domestic system in the early 2010s when he was recruited by the Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2015 CPL. He finished as their highest wicket-taker and a year later made his debut for South Africa in an ODI series in West Indies, and said the experience of the CPL helped him make the transition to the national team.
“As a youngster playing in the CPL before I made my debut for the Proteas in West Indies helped me feel so relaxed because I had been in those stadiums and I had done well on those pitches. So when I eventually did play for South Africa, I felt at home,” he said.
He believes other players have benefitted from similar experiences in leagues around the world, particularly Indian players in the IPL.
“Over the years, we’ve seen what the IPL has done for Indian players and Indian youngsters in particular. When they come to the international scene they have already played in front of huge crowds, they have had their disappointments and bad games in front of huge crowds, so they have learned how to deal with that, and they’ve had success in front of good crowds so they know how to deal with that too,” he said. “When they come to international cricket, it’s just business as usual.”
From India’s current squad, Yashavi Jaiswal is a case in point. He moved through the ranks in Indian domestic cricket and the Under-19 side before being picked up by Rajasthan Royals. He plays alongside Jos Buttler there and holds the record for the fastest IPL fifty, off 13 balls, before he made his international debut and he was more than ready for the big time. In 14 T20Is, he already has one hundred and two fifties to his name.
Shamsi doesn’t think it will be too long before South Africa will have a success story similar to this, of their own.
“The SA20 is brilliant for our country – in giving exposure to players. We’ve just had one season so we may not see it now, or in the near future but in the years to come we will see how much more prepared our new generation and guys that are in the system will be when they do play for the Proteas,” he said. “It won’t be a thing that they are playing international cricket. They will just let their natural talent shine.”
All players in South Africa’s current T20I squad have SA20 deals, and South Africa will rely heavily on performances in that tournament to select their T20 World Cup squad. That’s because they only have one more pre-World Cup series – in West Indies, just before the tournament – and they will travel there with their final 15.
That gives fringe players such as opening batter Matthew Breetzke, allrounder Donovan Ferreira and left-arm seamer Nandre Burger an opening to force their way into the T20 World Cup squad, and they’ll know many eyes will be on them.
“The SA20 is huge in terms of preparation for the (T20) World Cup. It will be in different conditions but it’s T20 cricket and it’s good to play as much cricket as you can play,” Shamsi said. “And not only to have good games. I am a big believer that when you have bad games you learn a lot and you improve your game a lot. You’ve just got to be playing. It gives you another 10 fixtures to play high quality cricket.”
The SA20 takes place from January 10 to February 10 and will clash with South Africa’s two-Test tour of New Zealand which starts on February 4. CSA has confirmed that all Test players with SA20 contracts will be unavailable for their Tests as they are obliged to play for the franchises and so a makeshift Test side will be sent to New Zealand instead.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
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