Watching T20 leagues as a feeder system for international cricket will help both forms of the game, says South Africa wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi. This is in contrast to thinking of franchise competitions and bilateral matches as mutually exclusive.
Speaking after South Africa defeated India in Gqeberha by five wickets, both sides fielding experimental XIs, Shamsi emphasized that leagues may facilitate skill sharing and help produce more players prepared for international cricket.
“The leagues were viewed negatively when they first began since participants’ primary motivation seemed to be money. However, you pick up little nuggets of gold when you play in different leagues, according to Shamsi. Like other nations, South Africa is so accustomed to doing things a certain way that you take up bits and pieces of what other people do just a little bit differently and try it out for yourself. You get better as a player and some of it works and some of it doesn’t. Men go and gain more experience, which benefits other participants and expands the pool.”
Shamsi himself is the finest illustration of that. Early in the 2010s, he was participating in South Africa’s native second division until he was selected by the Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2015 CPL. After finishing as their leading wicket-taker, he earned his South African debut in an ODI series in the West Indies a year later. He claimed that his CPL experience aided in his transfer to the national squad.
“Being in those stadiums and performing well on those pitches as a young player in the CPL before I made my Proteas debut in the West Indies helped me feel so relaxed.” I felt at home, therefore, when I did eventually play for South Africa,” he remarked.
He thinks that other athletes, especially Indian players in the IPL, have benefited from comparable experiences in leagues all around the world.
“We’ve seen what the Indian Premier League has done for Indian players—and Indian youth in particular—over the years. They’ve already performed in front of large audiences when they join the international scene, so they know how to handle disappointments and bad performances in front of large audiences as well as success in front of appreciative audiences,” the speaker said. “When they come to international cricket, it’s just business as usual.”
One such player from India’s current roster is Yashavi Jaiswal. Before being chosen by the Rajasthan Royals, he advanced through the ranks of Indian domestic cricket and the Under-19 team. Alongside Jos Buttler, he is the fastest IPL fifty-setter—hitting the mark in 13 balls—and was more than prepared for the big stage when he made his international debut. With just 14 T20Is played, he already has 122 fifty-score runs.
Shamsi believes that South Africa won’t be too far behind in producing a comparable success story of its own.
“The SA20 is fantastic for our nation because it exposes players. We may not see it right now or in the near future because we have only had one season, but in the coming years, we will be able to observe exactly how much better-prepared our new generation and the men in the system will be when they really play for the Proteas,” he stated. “The fact that they are playing cricket internationally won’t matter. They’ll just let their innate ability show.”
Every player in South Africa’s current T20I team is contracted for SA20, and the country will largely base its selection of the T20 World Cup team on their results in that competition. For that reason, they will only play one more pre-World Cup series, which will be in the West Indies right before the competition, and they will go there with their final 15.
This presents a chance for periphery players like left-arm seamer Nandre Burger, all-rounder Donovan Ferreira, and opening batsman Matthew Breetzke to push their way into the T20 World Cup team, knowing full well that a lot of eyes will be on them.
“The SA20 is really important for getting ready for the World Cup of Twenty20. Even though the conditions will be different, T20 cricket is still fun, so play as much as you can, Shamsi stated. “And not just to play enjoyable games. I really think that you learn a lot and get better at your game when you play bad. All you have to do is be playing. It provides you with an additional ten matches to play top-notch cricket.”
The two-Test visit of New Zealand by South Africa, which begins on February 4, will conflict with the SA20, which runs from January 10 to February 10. A makeshift Test team will be sent to New Zealand in its place after the CSA confirmed that all Test players having SA20 contracts will be unable to play in their Tests due to their obligation to represent their clubs.
