When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 18-man squad for their upcoming five-match Test series in Australia during the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, the notable omission was the premier pacer of the side, Mohammad Shami, who is in a race against time to get fully fit to be part of the auction again at the international stage.
The last competitive game for Mohammad Shami came during the final of the Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia nearly a year ago, where he finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps in seven innings at an average of under 11 and a strike rate of more than 12 thanks to the best bowling figure of 7/57.
But since then, the only regularity in the career of the Bengal pacer is the list of growing injuries. He was out of the red-ball series in South Africa at the end of the previous year before missing the five-match home Test series against England in January. The reports claimed that he was fit enough to make his return at the beginning of the home season against Bangladesh.
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But the new development informed the ankle injury that he picked up during the practice before the Indian captain Rohit Sharma confirmed the news in the press conference. Even the veteran missed the ongoing New Zealand Test series which sparked the speculation of his potential return to the game.
The last Test match for Mohammad Shami came during the final of the WTC 2021-23 final against Australia as he grabbed 229 wickets in 122 innings of the format at an average of below 28 and a strike rate of 50.2 thanks to his six five-wicket hauls at a best bowling figure of 6/56 in an inning.
Mohammad Shami is to miss the next Ranji Trophy clash against Karnataka due to this
The suggestion for the pacer was to play one or two games for Bengal before taking the flight to Australia, but that seems to be quite far away. While he is recovering from an ankle injury, the veteran won’t be featuring in the upcoming Ranji Trophy game for Bengal against Karnataka, which starts on November 13 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, as the CAB has announced the Anustup Majumdar-led squad.
The recent information from the BCCI Centre of Excellence has addressed that the pacer won’t be rushed into the auction, as they want the bowler to make his comeback at his own speed and comfort.
“Shami will not be playing the Bengal game against Karnataka, and most probably, he will play the match against Madhya Pradesh. The information received from the BCCI Centre of Excellence was that he would not be rushed into action. There have also been thoughts that Shami wants to do his competitive cricket return at his pace and comfort.” The report has pointed out.
The importance of Mohammad Shami will be huge for the Rohit Sharma-led side as they are aiming to earn their third consecutive series win after having done the same in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons.
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The 34-year-old has picked up 47 wickets in 15 innings of the longest format in those conditions at an average of over 32 and a strike rate of around nine overs with the help of two five-wicket hauls. The expectation for the management will be to see their veteran pacer in an auction at some point in the series.
The opening game of the series will begin on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth before they move to Adelaide for the day-night contest in Adelaide.