Cricket SA selector Mpitsang disappointed by Shamsi’s tweets

Cricket SA convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang is disappointed by Proteas spinner Taibraz Shamsi’s tweets about the alleged mistreatment of players at the T20 World Cup.

Despite heading to the tournament as one of the top T20 bowlers in the world, Shamsi saw little game time in Australia, where the Proteas failed to make it out of the group stage after a shock defeat in their final game against the Netherlands.

Because of a dip in Shamsi’s form, Keshav Maharaj was preferred as the spinner for most of SA’s unsuccessful World Cup campaign.

Shamsi’s returns in the two matches he played were 3/20 in the win against Bangladesh and 1/36 in the defeat to Pakistan.

After England beat Pakistan to lift the trophy in Australia, Shamsi took to Twitter to allege that English spinner Adil Rashid did not enjoy a better run than the SA bowler but was still a key figure for his nation in the final.

Mpitsang defended the Proteas’ selection process at the World Cup, saying all decisions were based on the conditions anticipated in each game.

“I think when the team and the bowling attack were selected, it was best suited for the conditions the team played in,” he said.

“I’m very disappointed to hear that from Shamsi because I was there and obviously my door is always open for anybody who has issues. If I’m there and the coach is there we can have a conversation, but the bowling attack that was put out there was based on the conditions we faced.”

Shamsi tweeted on Tuesday: “Adil Rashid had only two wickets up until this final [but] played every game [and] was assured of his place every game.

“Was backed every game. Now we can all see the result of that backing he received over the course of the tournament.”

Mpitsang said Shamsi should have approached the selector to raise any concerns. “It’s disappointing to hear that from Shamsi because I was on tour with him. And if there were issues, he was more than welcome to come and have a chat with me about that.”