Tabraiz Shamsi — Gulf Giants bowler, ILT20 Season 5

The former world number one

Tabraiz Shamsi reached the top of the ICC T20 international bowling rankings in 2021, and he held the position for more than a year — the longest any spinner has held it. His bowling is left-arm wrist-spin, the rarest and hardest to read of the spin arts, and his googly turns the other way to his stock ball, which means batters have to guess. In T20 cricket, guessing wrong means getting out. He has played in the IPL, the Big Bash, the Caribbean Premier League and the SA20, and he has taken wickets in all of them.

• Role: Bowler
• Team: Gulf Giants
• Batting: Right-handed
• Bowling: Left-arm wrist-spin
• Born: 18 February 1990

The $40,000 fee is a modest one for a bowler of his record, and it reflects his age — 36 — rather than his ability. The Giants have bought experience: a spinner who has bowled in World Cups, in finals, and in every major league, and who knows how to take wickets when the game is on the line.

The spin leader

Shamsi's role is to lead the Giants' spin attack, bowling four overs in the middle of the innings and taking the wickets that break partnerships. He will bowl alongside the seamers and the local spinners, and his experience is the key: he knows when to attack and when to hold, when to bowl the googly and when to keep it for later. His celebration — taking off his shoe and holding it up like a phone — is famous, but the bowling behind it is serious.

He is also a mentor in the dressing room: a spinner who has been world number one, and who can guide the younger bowlers through a long month. In a pace-heavy attack, Shamsi is the bowler who gives the Giants balance.

Spin in a pace attack

Gulf Giants' attack is built on pace — the Joseph brothers, Muzarabani, and the local seamers — but Shamsi is the bowler who makes it complete. On Dubai's pitches, where the ball grips and the spinners bowl in the middle overs, a wrist-spinner who takes wickets is worth as much as a fast bowler. The Giants' title hopes rest on their batting, but their playoff hopes rest on whether the bowling can defend totals — and Shamsi is the bowler most likely to win a game on his own.

What’s next

The Giants open away from home, and their wrist-spin leader gets his first outing in Sharjah: Sharjah Warriorz on Sunday 22 November, in the afternoon.

• Match 2 — vs Sharjah Warriorz: Sunday 22 November 2026, afternoon session, Sharjah.
• Match 5 — vs MI Emirates: Tuesday 24 November 2026, evening session, Dubai.
• Match 10 — vs Dubai Capitals: Saturday 28 November 2026, evening session, Dubai.

Qualifier 1 is on Tuesday 16 December, the Eliminator on Wednesday 17 December, Qualifier 2 on Friday 18 December in Sharjah, and the final on Sunday 20 December in Dubai.

Every fixture, date and session is on the ILT20 Schedule page. SialTV will carry every result as it happens, with the points table updated after every match day.