Tabraiz Shamsi says his short consultancy stint with the West Indies had nothing to do with a lack of loyalty to the Proteas.
The left-arm wrist-spinner recently assisted the West Indies as a spin consultant during their three-match T20I series against South Africa, a move that raised eyebrows given his absence from the Proteas setup over the past year.
Shamsi has fallen out of favour with national selectors and won a legal battle against CSA that allowed him to play in the ILT20 in the UAE and Australia’s BBL instead of the SA20.
MORE: Shamzi wins case against CSA
Shamsi, however, dismissed any suggestion that his role with the Windies was controversial.
“There are no hard feelings between me and the Proteas team,” he told Rapport. Everyone is at ease. It has nothing to do with loyalty or anything of that nature, it is simply a professional opportunity to hone a new skill. I am still 100% committed to Proteas cricket for sure.”
Shamsi, who played the last of his 70 T20Is for South Africa in 2024, stressed that boundaries were never crossed during his time in the West Indies camp.
“I did not share any Proteas tactics or talk about Proteas players at all. I am not involved in team or selectors’ meetings; I have kept my distance from all that.”
Shamsi added that his contribution was focused purely on supporting spinners from a mental perspective.
“Most teams around the world are neglecting spinners and that needs attention,” he said.
Despite the successful stint, Shamsi confirmed he will not continue with the West Indies beyond the series.
“I have hardly been home for the past four or five months and would like to spend time with my family,” he said.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
