[Saba Sports News] Tabraiz Shamsi, the South African spinner, emerged as a standout player in the rain-affected second T20I against India at St George Park, Gqeberha, on December 12. Delivering an impressive 1/18, Shamsi played a key role in South Africa’s five-wicket victory via the DLS method.
However, his ‘shoe-call’ celebration after dismissing Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav drew significant attention. Responding to criticism, Shamsi explained the celebration as fun and harmless, aiming to entertain children and not disrespect the batter.
“It’s just a fun celebration which a lot of kids enjoy and means no disrespect towards the batter… I’ve mentioned that countless times before. All you guys hurling abuse are just giving other genuine cricket-loving fans from your country a bad name.. cheers,” he posted on X.
In the T20I series, South Africa now leads 1-0 after a washout in the first match in Durban. The Proteas, under Aiden Markram’s captaincy, chose to field first. India, despite early losses including Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, fought back with Suryakumar Yadav scoring 56 and Rinku Singh adding an unbeaten 68, setting a total of 180 before rain cut short their innings.
South Africa reached the revised target of 152 in 15 overs, led by Reeza Hendricks’ swift 49 off 27 balls, securing a series lead and showcasing their well-rounded skills in the match.