Steelbacks put trust in SA wrist spinner

South African left arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi will join the Northamptonshire Steelbacks for the start of their defence of the NatWest T20 Blast.

The 27-year-old will be available for the first three games of the campaign, and will then be replaced by Seekkuge Prasanna, who will join up with the Squad after his Sri Lanka commitments.

The Sri Lankan leg spinner has worked his way back into the Sri Lanka one-day squad in recent months and will miss the start of the NatWest T20 Blast Campaign to represent his country against Zimbabwe.

The series between the two nations begins on June 30, with a total of five one-day internationals to be played, with the final fixture taking place on July 10.

Shamsi has represented South Africa 8 times across all three formats and played in both the Caribbean and the Indian Premier League T20 tournaments.

The Johannesburg-born spinner has taken 60 wickets in T20 cricket at a strike rate of 21.7 and an economy rate of 7.21.

The new signing said: "I'm delighted to be joining Northamptonshire Steelbacks this summer for the NatWest T20 Blast. "I look forward to entertaining the crowds at The County Ground and contributing to wins for the team."

Head coach David Ripley said: "We're delighted to welcome Tabraiz to our NatWest T20 Blast squad. "He is an experienced T20 player, having played both in the CPL and IPL. He is a very effective leg spinner, something I believe crucial in modern T20 cricket.