Ken Borland

Tabraiz Shamsi has been in the shadow of Imran Tahir in white-ball cricket for most of his international career and is finally back in the Test squad after appearing in the longest format of the game just twice, in 2016 and 2018, and says he is eager to win games in all formats for the Proteas in the West Indies.

Shamsi has established himself as South Africa’s No.1 limited-overs spinner, winning the T20 Player of the Year award on Monday night and featuring in seven of their nine ODIs since the start of 2020. But it is his Test prospects which are perhaps most interesting.

The left-arm wrist-spinner took a wicket in each innings on Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in November 2016 and his second Test was against Sri Lanka in Galle in July 2018. Shamsi was threatening in the first innings, taking three wickets, and then added a single wicket in the second innings.

But that was his last Test appearance, although coach Mark Boucher did want to play him in a three-pronged spin attack in the first Test against Pakistan in Karachi in January, but Shamsi pulled out shortly before the toss with a back spasm.

“As far as the Test team goes, I feel like I have unfinished business, but I have to wait my turn and give it my all when the chance comes, I only think about winning games for my country. The role of a spinner is very important in the West Indies because their batsmen play calypso cricket, high-octane cricket, just playing shots. So a leg-spinner or a wrist-spinner can definitely turn the game there.

“It hasn’t been easy being behind Imran Tahir for so many years, just playing one or two games here and there, usually when we’ve already won the series. But you only really learn when you play regularly: If you make a mistake on Wednesday then you can try and rectify it on Friday and Sunday. Consistency of playing leads to better performances,” Shamsi said.

Confidence and consistent performances are certainly also products of having the same team together for a while and Shamsi is looking forward to the T20 squad playing some regular cricket now ahead of their World Cup in October/November. South Africa will play five T20s against the West Indies and three versus Ireland, as well as having series against Sri Lanka and India lined up.

“It will be nice to go into the World Cup with some confidence, but it is five months away. So I just want to keep improving and hopefully I’ll be in even better form then after quite a good last season. The World Cup will be in the subcontinent so this is a nice opportunity to fine-tune and come up with and perfect game-plans where the pitches are normally slow.

“We may get the same conditions at the World Cup so we want tough games now. The team maybe does not have a lot of caps, but we have all played a lot of domestic cricket. We know the skills in the squad and that gives us confidence, we know the firepower we have is really exciting. It’s not bad to be flying under the radar and I think we will surprise a few people,” Shamsi said.

South Africa is famous for its loose forwards and it is a measure of our tremendous depth in that department that Roelof Smit, who toured with the Springboks in 2016, can only get a game of top-flight rugby when he turns out for the Toyota Invitation XV to play the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

A 25-man squad for the Invitation XV was announced on Wednesday and includes a fully-fledged Springbok in wing Jamba Ulengo, who played a Test against Wales in 2016.

Smit was chosen for the 2016 end-of-year tour as an openside flank, having burst on to the scene that year as one of the Bulls’ young stars. His only appearance on that tour was against the Barbarians, and although he scored a try he did not play in one of the Tests against England, Italy or Wales and so is not considered an official Springbok.

And since then he has suffered numerous injuries. Even a move to the Lions has not helped and he has fallen down the pecking order there as well after being knocked down by another spate of injuries. Last year he only returned to action in October, but suffered a calf injury in the new year and then yet another knee injury at the end of February.

Ulengo made a fine start to Super Rugby Unlocked action last October but has since rather faded from view at the Lions. But he has picked himself up numerous times in his career and Saturday gives him an opportunity to get himself back into the limelight.

Also amongst the backs named in the Invitation XV is Innocent Radebe, one of the most exciting schoolboy flyhalves in the country whose senior career has also been dogged by much bad luck. He was named by Peter de Villiers as his Eastern Province captain, only to fracture his hand three minutes into his first game in the kick-off series at the start of this season.

Toyota Invitation XV squad

Forwards: Dan Jooste (Sharks), Jean Droste (Cheetahs), Jeandre Labuschagne (Sharks), Johan du Toit (WP), Khwezi Mona (Sharks), Kwenzo Bloze (WP), Marnus van der Merwe (Cheetahs), Michael Kumbirai (Sharks), Mihlali Mosi (NMMU), Reinier Viljoen (Cheetahs U20), Roelof Smit (Lions), Ruhan Straeuli (Lions), Sazi Sandi (WP), WJ Steenkamp (Bulls).

Backs:  Corne Smit (WP), Dillon Smit (Lions), Innocent Radebe (EP), Jamba Ulengo (Lions), Jason Alexander (WP), JP Duvenhage (Shimlas), Keegan Johannes (Bulls), Leolin Zas (WP), Richard Kriel (Bulls), Shane Bolton (Shimlas), Tristin Leyds (WP).

One bad game does not define the Sharks as a team and they will bounce back to defend their honour against the Stormers at Kings Park on Saturday, flank Henco Venter promised on Tuesday.

The Sharks went to Pretoria last weekend on top of the South African log but were mauled 43-9 by the Bulls, whose pack simply overpowered them, by the admission of the KwaZulu-Natal team themselves. The Stormers are another side who bring plenty of fire and fury up front, and their captain, Steven Kitshoff, said last weekend that they owe the Sharks after losing their last two matches against them.

“The score at Loftus spoke for itself and we are not feeling good about it,” Venter said. “We have had time to reflect on it and we will be ready for the weekend. We’re not being negative, but positive. One bad game does not define us as a team. The previous weekend we stopped 14 Lions mauls and held them off with six forwards against eight.

“I’m very glad that Kitshoff said that because we want the Stormers to be at their best, we don’t want them at 50%, hopefully they have no injuries. We are 100% up for their forward pack and we’re definitely not going to just lie down on our backs when they come here. Kings Park is our place and criticism can either be taken positively or negatively, and I can assure you we have taken it positively,” Venter added.

Bulls coach Jake White acknowledged after last weekend’s dramatic result that the Sharks are still a very good side and they are certainly still in the running for a place in the Rainbow Cup final against the winners of the European section, and Venter said there will be no backing off from the Durbanites.

“We’re playing to be in that final and then play in the European Cup next season. We’ve had our bad part of the competition now, and now, if we win all our games, we will be in the final, it’s in our hands. Having a Rainbow Cup final has made it more lucrative and exciting, it’s something to play for. Being the best in South Africa is one thing, but being the best in the whole Pro16 is another matter,” Venter said.

Loftus Versfeld used to be the home of 10-man rugby when Naas Botha was bossing the game in the 1970s/80s, but the intervening years have seen that approach all but die out and Jake White’s arrival in Pretoria has seen the Bulls use their backline with greater effectiveness than has been seen for many years. But against the Lions in the opening round of the Rainbow Cup on Saturday, there is a possibility that the home side will be playing a more conservative brand of rugby.

Not only have the Bulls been training for European conditions up until two weeks ago, but the Lions are also known to favour a more expansive, high-tempo game-plan. So it makes sense for the Bulls to force the Lions into a tight, physical contest that requires them to put their bodies on the line, and to force them back into their own territory with a strong kicking game.

“It’s definitely going to be a physical battle up front, we all know the Lions like to play with a lot of width. We have a great game-plan and if we stick to that then it will all work out, even though the Lions know exactly what we will bring. We kicked a lot on the Lions when we played them before and that’s something we can target because we have big wings that can contest,” scrumhalf Embrose Papier said this week with resonant tones of intimidation.

Having burst on the scene in 2018 as a potentially world-class scrumhalf, Papier’s fortunes took a dip in 2019 as he was left out of the Springbok squad. But the 24-year-old says the presence of Fourie du Preez, a towering presence in both Bulls and Springbok rugby, at Loftus Versfeld has been helping him a lot.

In 2019 he seemed to be at the rear of the Bulls’ No.9 pecking order behind Ivan van Zyl and Andre Warner, but now, especially with Van Zyl heading to Saracens at the end of June, Papier could well be celebrating a return to the Springbok squad given his resurgence in the last year.

“It’s been a dream to work with Fourie and my game-management, passing and kicking have all improved a lot. I’m working very hard and I learn something new every day, and I still dream of playing for the Bokke, that’s definitely a goal. But if I play good rugby through the year then that will be rewarded, so I’m just taking it step by step,” Papier said.