Tabraiz Shamsi, the South Africa and MI Cape Town wristspinner, will miss the upcoming SA20 season after making himself unavailable for personal reasons. He has been replaced by all-rounder Thomas Kaber, a left-arm wristspinner who returns to the franchise after featuring in the previous two seasons.
MI Cape Town’s spin attack for season four will now include Rashid Khan, George Linde and Dane Piedt, alongside Kaber. Their fast-bowling group consists of Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Corbin Bosch and Dwaine Pretorius. Kaber, who played one match in the team’s title-winning 2024–25 campaign and eight games the season before, has taken 10 wickets in seven SA20 innings at an average of 16.60 and an economy rate of 8.05. With the bat, he has scored 34 runs across four innings, remaining not out three times. In the ongoing CSA T20 Challenge, Kaber has seven wickets in six games for Warriors, with an economy rate of 6.31 and an average of 17.42.
Shamsi was signed by MI Cape Town for R500,000 (US$29,000 approx.) at the September auction and was set for his first season with the franchise. He previously represented Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals in the tournament. He is currently playing for Northern Warriors in the Abu Dhabi T10. Earlier this year, he opted out of a Cricket South Africa (CSA) national contract and was not selected for the ODI series against India. His last T20I appearance came in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Defending champions MI Cape Town will begin their SA20 campaign on December 26 against Durban’s Super Giants. Newlands, their home ground, will host both the season opener and the final on January 25.
