The Indian team-management and the selectors are reportedly seeking clarity about Mohammed Shami’s white-ball future. The parties want to be assured of his priorities before taking a call on the team for this year’s T20 World Cup.
The highly-anticipated T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in June this year in the West Indies and the United States of America. With the marquee event just five months away, the selectors and the team-management are looking to zero in on the bowling attack for the tournament. The selectors have a big call to make about Mohammed Shami.
The right-arm pacer recently starred for India in the ODI World Cup. Despite not playing the first four games, he finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, taking a stunning 24 wickets in just 7 games with the help of three five-wicket hauls including a 7-fer against New Zealand in the semifinal.
Although Mohammed Shami starred in the World Cup, reports suggested that he would prioritise Test cricket and would not feature too much in white-ball cricket in order to manage his workload. The selectors, however, are still interested in his services for the T20 World Cup and are now seeking clarity over his future.
Selectors and team-management to talk with Mohammed Shami soon:
According to a report in The Times of India, the selectors and the team-management are set to hold talks with Mohammed Shami soon. The report stated that the parties were set to talk in South Africa but could not do it as the pacer failed to travel to the African country owing to an injury.
“There will be a discussion with Shami to know what he wants to do going ahead. He has taken a lot of workload in the last few years. This discussion was supposed to happen in South Africa. Since he didn’t travel with the team, the management and selectors will talk to him very soon,” a BCCI source said before adding: “It has to be clear how much cricket he wants to play beyond the IPL and the Test matches.”
Mohammed Shami’s T20I career had looked as good as over not very long ago before he was given a lifeline in 2022 when he was added to the squad for the T20 World Cup at the last moment. He has done extremely well in the IPL in last two seasons, taking a staggering 48 wickets.
