Courtesy: BCCI
In a major development, Mohammed Shami, the Indian fast bowler, who has not played international cricket for nearly 14 months, is expected to make his triumphant return to the team for the upcoming white-ball home series against England. With that, the 34-year-old could be in line for a place in the final Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is big news considering the couple of tough injuries he has had to endure for well over a year.
Notably, after the ODI World Cup final at home against Australia on November 19, 2023, it was revealed that Mohammed Shami had suffered a heel injury. After undergoing surgery and rehab for nearly a year, he made his return to competition for Bengal in domestic cricket, but due to experiencing some knee swelling in recent times, the BCCI’s plan to send him over to Australia to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), which India eventually lost 1-3, were scrapped in its entirety.
While Mohammed Shami is expected to be fit for Champions Trophy 2025, Akash Deep has race against time
As per the report from Cricbuzz, Mohammed Shami is currently under close observation of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) medical team with at least one physio and trainer accompanying him at every step. He is expected to play for Bengal today in the pre-quarter final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) against Haryana at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara.
Moreover, Akash Deep, who had missed out on the final BGT Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) due to back pain, is unlikely to be a part of the upcoming three-match T20I and ODI series at home against England ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The sources have mentioned that the Indian fast bowler is expected to be sidelined for at least one month due to his current injury, and he will be making his way to the NCA in Bengaluru very soon.
The final date of announcing the Champions Trophy squad, a tournament which will be played in Pakistan and the UAE, is January 12 for all the eight participating teams.
