Mohammed Shami named in Bengal's squad for SMAT 2024/25

Bengal have named the star India pacer Mohammed Shami in their squad for the first leg of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024/25, starting on Saturday (November 23). 

The 34-year-old is in a race against time to regain match fitness and take part in India’s upcoming Test assignment — the high-profile Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under — in some capacity. Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final. He was then diagnosed with an Achilles tendon injury on his left leg and underwent surgery, which kept him out of competitive cricket for 11 months. 

Shami was impressive in his only outing in the recently concluded first leg of the Ranji Trophy. Playing against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, which marked his return, the right-arm seamer registered figures of 4/54 and 3/102, bowling 43.2 overs across both innings. He also scored 37 runs with the bat in the second innings. 

Even though it is a T20 tournament, the BCCI medical team and national selectors want Shami to play a few more competitive games to assess whether his body is holding up to the pressure of playing multiple matches before deciding whether to involve him in the Test series in Australia. 

India have a pretty inexperienced pace attack for the five-Test series and hence, Shami’s availability can make a difference outcome of the series. 

Bengal, led by Sudip Kumar Gharami, will begin their campaign against Punjab in their Group A match in Rajkot. 

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