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Cape Town - Former Proteas wicketkeeper and newly appointed Titans coach Mark Boucher says if spinner Tabraiz Shamsi wants to be selected for the South African Test squad he needs a few "good overs under his belt".
Shamsi took 41 wickets with an average of 19.97 last season, as the Titans emphatically won the four-day Sunfoil Series.
The 26-year-old made his debut for the Proteas in June this year in the third ODI triangular match against Australia in the Caribbean.
He took three wickets in two ODI games at an average of 25.66 in the tri-series.
READ: Proteas: Call for Shamsi Test nod
Although Shamsi is making his way into the Proteas squad, Boucher feels that the Johannesburg-born spinner needs to first figure out his strengths and weaknesses before lunging into the national Test squad.
“I would prefer if he (Shamsi) had a couple of overs behind his name (and play more first-class cricket at domestic level) in order to find out his weaknesses, strengths and where he can improve,” Boucher told the Titans’ official website.
“He needs to get some good overs under his belt.”
Boucher continued by saying that this season is a big test for the spinner, as the Proteas favour Dane Piedt as their go-to tweaker, but if Shamsi performs well in the 2016/17 season - he might be considered for the Test team.
“This will be a big season for Tabraiz. Batsmen might be coming after him, because sides would have done some video-analysis on how to read him. The importance would be to move him forward (even more),” Boucher said.
