It hasn’t been the first time, and it surely won’t be the last that an international player has declined the national contract. The new addition to the list is the 34-year-old Tabraiz Shamsi, left-arm wrist spinner from South Africa, who has opted out from the contract with CSA, effective immediately.
But with this new move, Tabraiz Shamsi will now be able to participate in the upcoming T20 leagues around the world with more freedom. However, he remains available for certain white-ball tournaments of the Rainbow Nation and is expected to take part in major tournaments.
The Johannesburg-born has collected 72 ODI scalps in 51 games at an average of just over 30 with a strike rate of around six overs, thanks to his best figure of 5/49 in an innings. In the case of the shortest format of the game, the spinner has claimed 89 scalps in 70 innings.
The last national game for Tabraiz Shamsi came during the T20 World Cup final in 2024 when they met India at the Kensington Oval in Barbados but lost the title in the last over of the event. He hasn’t been part of the UAE trip, where they face Afghanistan and Ireland.
Tabraiz Shamsi to aim various T20 leagues
One of the potential reasons for the spinner to pull off his name from the national contract was because he missed the PSL in Pakistan earlier this year to play for the Titans in the CSA T20 challenge, the domestic T20 competition, of the country.
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As a result, he could play in only the first four of the ten league games for Karachi Kings and lost the match fee for the remaining six encounters. Tabraiz Shamsi was also forced to fly back home during the recent Caribbean Premier League, as per the rules and regulations of the national contract.
He wasn’t a winner of any of the honours but that drained him for a few days. The CSA has always expected their contracted players to attend the awards, even if that means they have to leave their overseas assignments midway.
“I have decided to opt out of my central contract to be more flexible during the domestic season, allowing me to explore all opportunities available and look after my family in the best way possible.” The wrist-spinner is expressed in a CSA statement.
“This will not impact my ability or motivation to play for the Proteas in any way, and I will always be available to play for my country whenever I am needed. It has always been my dream to bring the World Cup home to South Africa, and no franchise league will ever be more important than playing for my country.” Tabraiz Shamsi noted during the decision.
Even though he went back to the Caribbean to resume playing in the CPL, those three games that he missed pushed him to the point of losing a certain portion of the match fee again for the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
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In the upcoming year, the CSA domestic one-day cup tournament for the Proteas will start on February 15 and run for a month. This could clash with the PSL’s start, and Tabraiz Shamsi won’t be satisfied with the whole situation.
Along with him, the fast bowler of the side, Anrich Nortje, has also opted out of his central contract because of his body not being prepared for the three formats of the game and also because he wanted to spend more time in the T20 leagues.