At The ICC World Cup 2023, Mohammed Shami is the Pinnacle of Skill & Resilience
#CWC23 | #Shami scripted history as he became the only Indian bowler to have two 5-wickets hauls in #WorldCup.
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With each stride in his run-up, Mohammed Shami casts a spell. Beyond the boundary, in the hearts that cheer fervently, there's an unspoken conviction—a shared belief that he will not go wicket-less.
His reverse swing mastery, pace generation with natural ability to bowl accurate yorkers, coupled with his knack for picking up crucial wickets is perhaps what define his utter genius.
On Sunday in Dharamsala, picked for his first game of the tournament, the spearhead returned with a career best 5/54 in a World Cup. After taking 5/69 against England in the 2019 edition, Shami became the first Indian cricket to pick up two five-wicket hauls in an ODI World Cup.
Three out of five of his wickets were bowled dismissals and other two were catches that involved Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli’s hands.
The BlackCaps were 19 for 1 when Shami drew blood on his first delivery of the ICC World Cup 2023. It was a length ball that got Will Young’s inside edge and rattled the stumps. When the scoreboard read 178/2, the veteran got rid of New Zealand’s sensational batter Rachin Ravindra and broke the 159-run stand between him and Daryl Mitchell.
In his final spell, the 33-year-old let all hell break loose when he scalped the wickets of Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry on two lethal deliveries on the trot. Both the balls were perfect demonstration of exceptional seam and swing bowling - a niche that Shami has carved for himself over the years.
To complete his fifer, Shami nabbed centurion Daryl Mitchell’s wicket on the penultimate ball of NZ’s innings.
While fans have their favourites, the maestro who produced them doesn’t discriminate.
“All the wickets are good. When you play for the country, I feel every wicket is important for you. They say that every point in building the wickets that you compile is useful. As such, I don't like any particular wicket more; I enjoy all my wickets,” he would say at the post-match conference.
Off the field, Shami's humility and down-to-earth demeanour have endeared him to fans, who admire not only his cricketing prowess but also his grounded personality. Giving his fans another such moment, post his scintillating performance, Shami said something that will remain with his them forever.
Shami, who witnessed India’s first four wins this World Cup from the dug-out, not because he’s less skilled but because his side needs a helping hand with the bat in the lower order, asserted he always felt he was part of the team even when he did not feature in the playing XI.
The pace stalwart said that despite being on the sidelines, he never gave up and that he always had an optimistic outlook.
“Personally, I keep my outlook as – you keep enjoying. Because in India the biggest sport is cricket. The biggest place is the place where you are sitting. It's not necessary to be there (in the playing XI). You have 15 players. Four of them have to stay out. So, by being positive and enjoying it, I feel you will get more results,” he said.
“So, I always think to myself, I am not here today, I will be here tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. They do come in rotation. And when your time comes, you contribute to the team. I think that the one who is performing now will be happy with that. That's it,” added Shami, he added.
Despite the HPCA stadium outfield receiving harsh criticism for being damp, Shami claimed that the circumstances were the same for both teams.
"There is no complaint because it was the same for both teams. We cannot say anything to the groundsman because he is helpless, it's his job; he tries very hard... It is not good to put a question mark on someone," he said.
"The situation and the condition is the same for both teams. In India and abroad, there are ups and downs. Sometimes we play on wet grounds, sometimes we play on dry grounds. No complaints."
Shami's disciplined performance restricted the Kiwis to 273 in an innings that seemed like it was going to blow up for somewhere around 320. His penchant for making an authoritative comeback is not something we are unaware of.
In 2020, when Shami was dropped from India's ODI set-up after an Australia series at the SCG, there was very little hope for the pacer from Amroha to re-appear in the ODI setup.
However, in July 2022, a second chance was given to Shami, who returned to the 50-over format after nearly 19 months. The bowler became the fastest Indian to amass 150 ODI wickets during his spell at the Kennington Oval after taking three wickets against England in his comeback match. India won that match by a huge margin of 10 wickets.
In the 13 ODI matches that he's played in 2023, he's picked up 24 wickets at an average of 21.04
However, leading up to this World Cup, Shami did not have enough opportunities as India chose to start two fast bowling all-rounders, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya, alongside the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
In India's final bilateral series against Australia before the 2023 World Cup, Shami was given one last chance after participating in two Asia Cup matches against Bangladesh and Nepal. In the opening game of the series, Shami seized the chance and picked up five wickets in a haul, securing his berth in the show-piece event.
And with his miraculous performance against the Kiwis on Sunday, Shami’s regular inclusion in the upcoming matches will definitely be a food for thought for the management.
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