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Star Indian pacer and veteran of the game, Mohammed Shami recently opened up on his experience in cricket during an interview. Shami, who recently resumed bowling in nets after recovering from an injury which was troubling him since the 2023 ODI World Cup, which was played in India.
Shami, who appeared in an interview on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel “Unplugged’, also expressed his side of story from the 2019 ODI World Cup. Reflecting on the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which saw the Indian team management bench Shami in crucial matches, left the Indian pacer confused as well as discontented.
“In 2019 I did not play the first 4-5 games. In the next game, I took a hat-trick, then picked up a five-wicket haul and then four wickets in the next game. A similar thing happened in 2023. I did not play in the first few games and then picked a fifer, then four wickets and then a five-wicket haul again,” Shami said, recounting his experience. However, he continued, leaving a question for the team management and the selection committee on such a decision as he continued, “The one thing I keep wondering is every team needs players who can perform. I took 13 wickets in three matches. What more do you expect from me?”
Watch Mohammed Shami question the team management for being benched despite performing:
In the 2019 World Cup, Shami who scalped 14 wickets in four matches, was benched for the final league match against Sri Lanka and in the semifinal against New Zealand which India lost by 18 runs. “I neither have questions nor do I have answers. I can only prove myself when I get the opportunity. You give me a chance and I took 13 wickets in three matches. Then we lost to New Zealand. Played four matches overall and picked 14 wickets. In 2023, I picked 24 wickets in seven matches,” Shami concluded.
The 33-year-old pacer, who finished as the highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, boasts of outstanding records in the 50-over format. In his 10 innings, Shami has taken 195 wickets at an average of 23.68, which includes five five-wicket hauls. In World Cups, Shami has 55 wickets to his names from just 18 matches, making him India’s highest wicket-taker, while he stands fifth in overall standings.
