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.

I suppose one should pay Cricket South Africa’s Members Council their dues for the sort of sheer bloodymindedness and obstinacy that, if our batsmen could replicate it at the crease, would ensure that the Proteas never lose another Test match.

But now, with the game in this country teetering on the precipice, it really is time for them to give up the stonewalling and save us all a lot of time, effort and frustration, by accepting the inevitable changes in governance that will bring a majority independent board. Ultimately, they are trying to defy the sports minister, which is a pointless exercise reminiscent of when the SA Rugby Union, through their bombastic president Louis Luyt, took Nelson Mandela to court in 1998.

You may win the odd legal battle, but you are most certainly not going to win the war.

Dr Stavros Nicolaou, the chairman of the Interim Board, this week detailed every step in the negotiations with the Members Council and it reminded me of those World War I soldiers who would fight for days in the muddy, bloody trenches to add just a metre or two to their frontline.

And now, the handful of recalcitrants on the Members Council who scuppered the Special General Meeting last weekend are considering legal action to stop both a new constitution and Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s punitive action that is yet to be announced. CSA is an organisation that has spent millions and millions on legal fees in the last couple of years, robbing the game itself of much-needed resources, so it might seem a bit unfair that the Interim Board (their antagonists) now have to give their approval in order for the Members Council to enlist the help of lawyers in their battle, but thank goodness it is the case.

Much of the Members Council’s delaying tactics seem to have revolved around deliberate misrepresentations of what the Interim Board’s new Memorandum of Incorporation actually says. And Nicolaou confirmed this week that, apart from a majority independent board and an independent chair, everything else is negotiable. Which has not been the picture portrayed by the recalcitrants.

Do the Members Council want a 15-person board? That’s fine, then the equation will be eight independent directors, five non-independent and the two executives (CEO & CFO). Or a 13-strong board? Then the make-up will be 7-4-2; even a board of 11 is possible, with six independents, three non-independents and the two executives.

In terms of the criteria for directors, the nominations committee can decide whether they want an emphasis on a cricket background or skills in legal affairs, accounting or finance. There is no need for these criteria to be stipulated in the MoI.

What has been put in the MoI is the make-up of the all-important nominations committee that will select the independent directors. It is pleasing to see the six-person panel will include either a men’s or women’s former international player nominated by SACA, alongside a former CSA president nominated by the Interim Board, a Members Council representative and people from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Directors and the Legal Practice Council.

And the definition of an independent director precludes anyone involved in the administration of the game at provincial or national level, not everyone involved in the game such as coaches or former players.

This MoI has been debated and pored over and modified since the first meeting of the working group, made up of three representatives each from the Members Council and Interim Board, on January 31. According to Nicolaou, on April 15, two days before the ill-fated SGM, the Members Council had agreed to the new MoI.

Their sudden about-turn, orchestrated in the most scheming, underhand manner, has meant all those months of effort have been wasted. As Nicolaou pointed out, “the Members Council continuing to kick this can down the road has awful consequences on the hard-working employees of CSA and the players”.

And think of Anne Vilas, the Central Gauteng Lions president who has been at the forefront of taking a public stand against the recalcitrants. In fact, think of her husband Doug, who has hardly seen his wife for the last few months such has been the number of late-night meetings she has had to attend as the Interim Board and the Members Council have wrangled.

For all our sakes, let’s hope the Members Council relents while there is still time.

Those who have played under new Proteas captain Temba Bavuma before say his greatest strength is his man-management and that will be put to the test on Wednesday as the skipper will have five new personalities to deal with in the team for the decisive third ODI against Pakistan at Centurion thanks to the IPL departures.

Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi all played their last games before leaving for the Indian Premier League in the impressive victory at the Wanderers over the weekend and so two new batsmen and a rejigged bowling attack will have to take the field at SuperSport Park for the final match of the ODI series.

Judging by the first two games, South Africa will find it tough to crack a Pakistan outfit that has been highly competent thus far on the Highveld.

“We’re using the next couple of days to rest because back-to-back ODIs are not easy, and there’s the IPL dynamic to deal with as well because of the guys going to India to represent us there. I hope the guys coming in are mentally ready to do it for the team on Wednesday. It’s an opportunity for those other guys to stand up and really make a play for the team,” Bavuma said on Sunday evening after levelling the series at 1-1.

While Janneman Malan is the obvious replacement for De Kock in terms of opening the batting, and will be looking to pick up from where he left off against Australia a year ago, Miller’s place could be taken by either Jon-Jon Smuts, if the Proteas want another sixth-bowler option, or Kyle Verreynne. Heinrich Klaasen is already in the team and can keep wicket, or the talented Cape Cobras youngster can take the gloves.

It is in the bowling department, however, where South Africa will be looking for able replacements most carefully. It is probably fair to say that only Nortje and Rabada have really met expectations in the attack so far, so the bowlers are certainly going to be under pressure in the decider against a Pakistan batting line-up that is confident they can dominate.

Lutho Sipamla and Beuran Hendricks are apparently the most likely bowlers to come into the starting line-up, while Wednesday might offer the opportunity of bringing another all-rounder into the team in Wiaan Mulder.

And with spinner Tabraiz Shamsi having taken one wicket for 111 runs in 17 overs in the series thus far, giving Keshav Maharaj a go as the frontline spinner might be timely too.

Possible Proteas XI for 3^rd ODI: Aiden Markram, Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Jon-Jon Smuts, Heinrich Klaasen, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks.

Test openers Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar put together the largest partnership of the match thus far and wiped out the first-innings deficit as they took the Titans to 162 without loss at stumps on the third day of their CSA 4-Day Domestic Series match at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.

It was a great effort by Markram, who went to 90 not out, a 191-ball innings filled with lovely strokes, especially drives, and Elgar, who was on 65 not out and showed his typical determination to blunt the bowlers. Their partnership meant the Titans will go into the final day with a lead of 11 runs and all 10 wickets intact.

That after they conceded a massive first-innings deficit of 151, things heading south for them badly in the hour before lunch as the Knights were able to declare on 414 for nine.

The visitors had resumed on 307 for six and the Titans again maintained a strong grip on proceedings with the ball in the first hour.

But veteran Protea Farhaan Behardien stayed cool as he fought his way to 142, a great knock against his former side in the clash between the competition’s two pool leaders.

It took a superb one-handed, diving catch by Titans skipper Grant Thomson, at backward square-leg, to eventually dismiss Behardien off the bowling of Lizaad Williams (30-2-103-4), but Shaun von Berg then stepped up.

Having weathered an early barrage from the Titans quicks, he showed great decision-making as he stuck around through the tough times with Behardien as they added 39 for the seventh wicket in 17.4 overs, and then attacked to score 58 not out.

Alfred Mothoa scored 18 as he helped Von Berg add 58 runs for the ninth wicket.