Stat Attack: Mohammad Shami’s Impeccable Record in the Subcontinent

Ever since the legendary Zaheer Khan hung up his boots from international cricket, India was on the desperate need for a wicket-taking pacer. Ishant Sharma spearheaded the attack for years, but after every passing game, he was termed as a pacer still transforming.

Despite touring Australia on three different occasions, one has similar thoughts about the lanky pacer. Nevertheless, once a certain Mohammad Shami was back after a career-threatening knee injury late last year, it was evident that India’s prayers got answered. In Shami, India didn’t just find an excellent new ball bowler, but also someone who could strike in the middle of a session to open up the contest.

Playing in the subcontinent on the dry and dusty tracks is often considered as the most gruelling aspect for a pacer, but with every passing outing, Shami emerged with flying colours. In a stat, which recently grabbed the eyeballs, it is known that Shami now has the best statistics for a pacer in Asia in the last five years.

With 39 wickets in just the matter of 11 games, Shami averages a mere 21.89 per wicket in the subcontinent, the best for a pacer. During India’s glorious home season of 2016/17 and the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka, Shami was among the wickets as apart from striking with the red new ball, he also made ample use of the reverse swing.

Below, we go through the list of the five pacers with best bowling average in Asia in the last five years.