International career
Tabraiz Shamsi was born on 18 February 1990. He started playing international cricket in June 2016 during South Africa’s tour in the Caribbean. He is a left-arm spin bowler and bats with his right hand. Shamsi is known for taking many wickets in T20 matches and holds the record for the most wickets in T20 internationals for South Africa. He also shows a lot of energy and passion when he takes wickets. Apart from international games, Shamsi plays for several domestic teams and leagues, including the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League and the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20.
2016
- He played his first One Day International (ODI) match on June 7, 2016. This game was against Australia in Providence during the West Indies Tri-Series.
- Later that year, on November 24, he played his first Test match against Australia in Adelaide. He got his first Test wicket by bowling out Nathan Lyon.
2017
- On June 21, 2017, Shamsi played his first Twenty20 International (T20I) match. This was against England in Southampton.
- He started to become an important player for South Africa in all cricket formats.
2018
- He played his last Test match so far on July 12, 2018, against Sri Lanka in Galle.
- After that, he played mostly in ODI and T20 matches.
2019
- In April, Shamsi was part of South Africa’s team for the ICC Cricket World Cup.
- When Imran Tahir retired, Shamsi became South Africa’s main spinner for ODIs and T20s.
2021
- In March, Shamsi reached the number one spot in the ICC T20I bowling rankings. This happened after he took six wickets in a series against Pakistan.
- In September, he took five wickets in an ODI match against Sri Lanka. This was his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.
- He also played in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that year.
2022
- On July 31, Shamsi took 5 wickets and gave 24 runs in a T20I match against England.
- This made him the top wicket-taker for South Africa in T20I cricket.
- He became one of the few players to take five wickets in a T20I game.
2024
- In May, Shamsi was named in South Africa’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
- He played his latest ODI on February 12 against Pakistan in Karachi.
- His most recent T20I was on June 29 against India in Bridgetown.
Career Stats
- Test Matches: 2 matches played, 6 wickets taken. His bowling average is 46.33. Best bowling in one match is 3 wickets for 91 runs.
- ODIs: 55 matches played, 73 wickets taken. Bowling average is 34.38. Best bowling is 5 wickets for 49 runs.
- T20Is: 70 matches played, 89 wickets taken. Bowling average is 20.90. Best bowling is 5 wickets for 24 runs.
ICC Rankings
- Shamsi holds 64th place in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with 429 points.
- He is ranked 33rd in the ICC T20 bowling rankings with 564 points.
Leagues Participation
Tabraiz Shamsi played in different cricket leagues across the world. He was with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League from 2015 to 2018 and returned in 2024. Since 2022, he joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the same league. In the Pakistan Super League, he played for the Karachi Kings during 2023 and 2024. In the SA20 league, Shamsi was part of the Paarl Royals in 2023 and 2024, and from 2025, he will play for the Joburg Super Kings.
Caribbean Premier League
Tabraiz Shamsi played for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots from 2015 to 2018. He took many wickets and was one of the best bowlers in 2015. In 2017, during the CPL final, Shamsi got fined for arguing with the umpire but said sorry afterward. He joined Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2022 and was named the best player in one match. Shamsi missed the 2020 tournament because he did not arrange travel on time. In 2024, he returned to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, replacing injured players.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2015–2018
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St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
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Took many wickets in 2015; fined in 2017 final for arguing with umpire; apologized later.
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2020
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Jamaica Tallawahs
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Missed tournament due to late travel arrangements.
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2022
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Guyana Amazon Warriors
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Named best player in a match; took 4 wickets in one game; took 2 wickets against Saint Lucia Kings.
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2024
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St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
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Came back to replace injured players Vaninda Hasaran and Nuwan Tushara.
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Indian Premier League
Tabraiz Shamsi joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 as a replacement for an injured player. His first match was against Rising Pune Supergiants, where he took one wicket. In 2021, he became part of Rajasthan Royals for the second phase of the IPL, replacing Andrew Tye. Shamsi did not play in other IPL seasons.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2016
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Played as replacement for injured Samuel Badree; took 1 wicket in debut match.
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2021
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Rajasthan Royals
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Joined as replacement for Andrew Tye during IPL second phase.
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Other
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-
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Did not take part in other IPL seasons.
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Pakistan Super League
Tabraiz Shamsi played for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2023 and 2024. On February 26, 2023, he took 3 wickets for 18 runs in a match against Multan Sultans. Shamsi continued as a Karachi Kings player in the 2024 PSL season.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023
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Karachi Kings
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Took 3 wickets for 18 runs against Multan Sultans.
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2024
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Karachi Kings
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Continued as a player in the PSL.
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SA20
Tabraiz Shamsi played for the Paarl Royals in the SA20 tournament in 2023 and 2024. In the 14th match of SA20 2024, Shamsi helped the Paarl Royals win by taking two key wickets against Mumbai Indians Cape Town. Starting in 2025, Shamsi joined the Joburg Super Kings team.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023
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Paarl Royals
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Played in the SA20 tournament.
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2024
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Paarl Royals
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Took 2 important wickets in a win over Mumbai Indians Cape Town.
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2025
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Joburg Super Kings
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Joined the team for the SA20 season.
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Domestic career
Tabraiz Shamsi played cricket in both Highveld and Kwa-Zulu Natal regions early in his career. After a strong 2013-14 season with Easterns, he took 47 wickets at an average of 20.02. This performance placed him third in the three-day cup wicket list. He then played five matches in the 2014-15 franchise 20-over competition, where the visiting West Indies team noticed his bowling.
In school, Shamsi started as a seam bowler. During trials for the under-19 team, coaches told him his pace was not quick enough. They suggested he change to spin bowling since he also bowled many cutters.
In 2015, Shamsi took the most wickets for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League T20. He was part of the Easterns squad for the 2015 Africa T20 Cup.
In April 2016, Shamsi joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL as a replacement for the injured Samuel Badree. In his debut match against Rising Pune Supergiants, he took 1 wicket for 36 runs in 4 overs, and Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 13 runs.
In 2017, Shamsi joined Stellenbosch Monarchs for the first T20 Global League season. The tournament was postponed and later cancelled by Cricket South Africa.
Shamsi was the leading wicket-taker in the 2017–18 Ram Slam T20 Challenge, with 16 wickets in 11 matches. He also led the wickets in the 2017–18 Momentum One Day Cup, with 26 wickets in 9 matches.
In 2018, Shamsi became part of the Titans team for the 2018–19 season. He also played for Paarl Rocks in the first Mzansi Super League T20 tournament, taking ten wickets in nine matches, which was the highest in his team.
In 2019, Shamsi was picked for Edinburgh Rocks in the Euro T20 Slam. The tournament was cancelled the next month. He played for Hampshire County Cricket Club as an injury replacement in the 2019 Vitality Blast.
He returned to Paarl Rocks for the 2019 Mzansi Super League. In 2020, Shamsi was named in Jamaica Tallawahs squad for the Caribbean Premier League but missed the tournament due to travel problems.
In November 2020, during the CSA 4-Day Franchise Series, Shamsi took eight wickets for 32 runs in an innings, the best bowling figures for Titans in first-class cricket.
In the 2019-20 season, Shamsi was second on the Mzansi Super League wicket list and helped Paarl Rocks win the tournament. He also played regularly in South Africa’s white-ball matches against England and Australia, showing skill in taking wickets and maintaining control during bowling.
In 2021, Shamsi joined Northerns for the South African cricket season. He also joined Rajasthan Royals in the IPL’s UAE phase as a replacement player. Later that year, he played for Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League.
Shamsi holds the 64th position in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with 429 points and the 33rd position in the ICC T20 bowling rankings with 564 points.
Other Leagues
In August 2017, Shamsi joined the Stellenbosch Monarchs squad for the first T20 Global League season. But in October 2017, Cricket South Africa delayed the tournament until November 2018, then canceled it soon after.
In October 2018, Shamsi became part of the Paarl Rocks team for the first Mzansi Super League T20 tournament. He was the top wicket-taker for the team, with ten wickets in nine games. In September 2019, Shamsi stayed with Paarl Rocks for the next Mzansi Super League season.
In November 2021, Shamsi was picked by the Galle Gladiators for the 2021 Lanka Premier League after the player draft.
Records and achievements
Tabraiz Shamsi has reached many important milestones in his cricket career. His success in T20I matches stands out.
- In March 2021, Shamsi reached the top of the ICC T20I bowler rankings for the first time after a three-match T20I series against Pakistan. He took 6 wickets in that series.
- In September 2021, Shamsi took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs during the second match against Sri Lanka.
- On 31 July 2022, in the final game of South Africa’s three-match T20I series against England at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, Shamsi took 5 wickets for 24 runs. This achievement placed him as the sixth South African to take five wickets in T20Is.
- In May 2024, Shamsi joined South Africa’s squad for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup men’s tournament.
Awards and honors:
- T20I Men’s Cricketer of the Year at the CSA Awards in 2021
- Member of the ICC T20I Cricket Team of the Year in 2021
- Ranked first again in the ICC T20I bowler rankings in March 2022 after a series against Pakistan where he took 7 wickets
- Best T20I Men’s Cricketer of the Year at the CSA Awards in 2022
- Included in South Africa’s squad for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in May 2024
Personal life
Tabraiz Shamsi keeps his private life mostly quiet. Some facts about his family, money, home, and fans are known. Below are details by categories.
Family
Shamsi started playing cricket in high school as a fast bowler. During trials for the under-19 team, coaches said his speed was not enough to succeed as a seam bowler. They told him to try spin bowling because he was good at bowling cutters. This advice changed his career path and helped him become a strong spinner. No public information shows if he has a wife or children.
Finance
In 2025, Shamsi’s net worth reaches about 5 million US dollars.
Cars and Home
Shamsi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. He owns a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with a 4.0-liter Bi Turbo V8 engine. The car can reach 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. He also owns a Ford Mustang GT with a 5.0-liter V8 engine. Reports say he has other cars from Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Scandals
In the 2017 Caribbean Premier League final, Shamsi got fined 50% of his match fee after he protested a referee’s decision. He thought he caught a player from Trinbago Knight Riders, but the umpire did not agree. Shamsi showed some strange and angry gestures toward the umpire. Later, he apologized on Twitter for his actions.
Fans
In 2023, Shamsi did not like a fan’s comment on Twitter about an India vs Australia match. He answered that the comment was nonsense. During the 2023 T20I series against India, some fans criticized Shamsi online. They thought his celebration was disrespectful. Shamsi explained why he celebrated like that. He has about 228,000 followers on Instagram.
