"I didn’t get an opportunity to play regularly" - Tabraiz Shamsi on his lack of success in IPL

South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi weighed in on lack of bids for him in the IPL 2022 mega auction, stating he has no regrets. Shamsi, who has represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in his IPL career, talked about not getting enough opportunities to prove himself.

The chinaman spinner made his IPL debut in 2016, replacing West Indies' Samuel Badree. The 32-year-old, however, played only four games and picked up three wickets at an average of 49. The Proteas wrist-spinner featured in the second half of IPL 2021 for the Royals and played only one match, taking no wickets.

When asked whether it frustrated him not to be picked in the auction, the 32-year-old denied any such feeling. Shamsi trusts that had he received regular opportunities, things might have been different.

The No. 1 T20I bowler underlined that he became successful for South Africa after Imran Tahir moved on. He told SA Cricketmag:

"No, it does not frustrate me as it is something I can’t control. I’d love to be there, though. I believe in my abilities and I believe if I were given an opportunity to play regularly in the IPL, I could help a team win the trophy. In my previous two IPL stints, I didn’t get an opportunity to play regularly. As a player, you need to be given a decent run in order to showcase your abilities. That’s evident from my career. When Imran Tahir was in the Proteas team, I didn’t get to play regularly. But since he moved on, I’ve been able to show that I can win games and have climbed up to No 1 in the world."

The left-arm wrist-spinner has been South Africa's first-choice spinner in white-ball cricket since Tahir's retirement. The veteran cricketer clinched the No. 1 spot for bowlers in T20Is in March 2021 and still holds the position with 784 points.

"We are going to Australia to challenge for that trophy" - Tabraiz Shamsi

Tabraiz Shamsi. (Image Credits: Getty)

Tabraiz Shamsi opined on South Africa's plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup, affirming that they have one of the best bowling units. The Johannesburg-born player also felt they were unfortunate in the previous edition, saying:

"Our T20 team has one of the world’s best bowling attacks and we showed that at last year’s World Cup in the UAE. We were very unlucky not to qualify for the semi-finals. We beat two of the best teams there, Pakistan in one of the warm-up games and England in the group stage. We are going to Australia to challenge for that trophy."

The Proteas missed out on a semi-final berth in the 2021 T20 World Cup due to an inferior net run-rate. Australia lifted their first trophy in the format by beating New Zealand in the final.