Following Tabraiz Shamsi’s dismissal of an Indian batter during a recent T20 match in South Africa, Shamsi has opened up about the social media abuse that has been directed at him and his family. According to Shamsi, some of the abuse has even gone as far as targeting his wife on social media.
The incident took place during the 2nd T20I between India and South Africa at St George’s Park on December 12. Shamsi had celebrated after taking the decisive wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, and the Indian fans reacted strongly on social media. Players are used to being criticised and praised at the same time, but this time the tone of the comments went beyond the bounds of sportsmanship.
Shamsi said in a statement that he was disappointed with the use of toxic language and urged fans to be respectful of the online space. He added that these comments not only affect the players, but their families as well, and called on fans to be more respectful.
“People took it in a negative way; they thought it was disrespectful. I had so much abuse hurled at me. It was probably the worst it’s ever been. There was also abuse hurled at my wife. I didn’t appreciate that. It’s uncalled for. It’s fine if you want to have a dig at the players, but to involve family and say nasty things, that pushes it to another level,” Shamsi told Cricbuzz.
“I feel that if players don’t say anything about it, then people think they have free licence. More people need to speak up and say it’s not OK. Yes, we’re all trying our best. Yes, your team might not win or you might not agree with certain things. But you need to behave like a human being. You can’t carry on like an animal,” Shamsi added.
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