NEWS
Follow UsOn his return to professional cricket, Mohammed Shami made a big statement, picking up a four-wicket haul in the clash against Madhya Pradesh on November 14. The 34-year-old finished with figures of 4/54 in his first game after 365 days.
Shami bowled not only long spells but also multiple spells and was constantly a threat to the batters with his ability to swing the ball both ways. That left the Bengal head coach, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, stunned, who even went on to add that Shami came into the match without any match simulation.
"Someone has come back after one year and has bowled 19 overs and taken so many wickets... what's there to say," Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said, reported ESPNCricinfo.
"He came into the match without doing any match simulation. Can you imagine? But obviously, if he plays more, he will get better."
"He bowled one six-over spell and one five-over spell. Players who bowl in the IPL don't even know how to bowl more than four overs. He bowled the sort of spells fast bowlers are expected to. I have never seen a fast bowler come back so strongly after one year away. What he did today is like a fairy tale," he added.
On the other hand, Bengal’s skipper Anustup Majumdar too applauded the efforts, revealing that the 34-year-old was desperate to return to the field.
"It seemed like a big partnership was happening, but Shami asked me for the ball and said he wanted to bowl a new spell from the following over," Majumdar told ESPNcricinfo.
"He has proven how desperate he was to return to the field. It didn't seem to me that he was returning from an injury."
While it seems very unlikely that Shami will fly out to Australia for the first two Tests, if his form improves over the next week, there might be an outside chance for him to feature at some point in the series. The first Test against Australia begins in Perth on November 22.
(Cover image courtesy: PTI)
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here.
