Soth African Player Recalls Heartbreaking Internet Abuse from Indian Supporters. The controversy stemmed from Tabraiz Shamsi’s celebration following his dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav in the second Twenty20 International between South Africa and India in earlier this month. The left-arm spinner, who at first saw the wicket as a chance to win the game, has now disclosed that his excitement caused him to get hate mail on social media following the game. With Suryakumar’s wicket crucial to the outcome of the match, the Proteas won by five wickets (DLS method).
On December 12, during the second Twenty20 International at St George’s Park, Shamsi, in keeping with his customary wicket-celebration routine, removed a boot and feigned to talk into it after dismissing Suryakumar, caught at long-off. The spinner mentioned that this particular gesture was not well received by some Indian supporters. Shamsi told Cricbuzz, “People saw it negatively and thought it was disrespectful.”
“I received a great deal of abuse. I think it was the worst I’ve ever experienced. My wife was also the target of abuse. That was not appreciated by me. It’s inappropriate. While making fun of the players is acceptable, bringing up family members and saying hurtful things elevates the situation.
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“I believe that people assume players have unrestricted license if they remain silent about it. There must be a greater voice raising the alarm about this. Yes, we are all making a sincere effort. It’s possible that your team won’t win or that you won’t agree with some things. However, you must act appropriately.
A day following the match, Shamsi sent a forceful message on social media. It’s merely a harmless celebration that many children take part in, with no malice intended for the batter. I’ve made numerous references to that already. He would add, “All of you people who are calling out other sincere cricket fans in your country are just defaming them. Cheers.”
