Mohammad Shami on Tuesday became the fifth Indian fast bowler to scalp 200 wickets in Test cricket. The right-arm reached this feat during the third day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion. He bagged a five-wicket haul, the sixth in his career, helping India bundle out the hosts for 197.
Mohammad Shami garnered massive praise for his heroics in Centurion. Former South Africa batsman Daryll Cullinan was so impressed with the pacer’s performance that he compared Mohammad Shami to the likes of Shaun Pollock and James Anderson.
Mohammad Shami Reminds Daryll Cullinan Of The Likes Of Shaun Pollock And James Anderson
Daryll Cullinan lauded the experienced pacer for his seam position and control.
“His seam position is perfectly up there. Just watching him bowl today reminded me of the likes of (Shaun) Pollock, (James) Anderson. They don’t seem to waste a ball. If you’re on strike, there’s constantly that subtle variation and good seam positions. It is not as if you anticipate the line and length,” Daryll Cullinan said.
“It’s that control which may vary, sort of a foot wide in the crease. It may be a foot fuller or shorter. He finds that in-between lengths where you never know whether you should be forward or back. He’s constantly asking you questions. You can see there’s a thought process behind everything that he is doing,” he added.
As many as 18 wickets fell across three innings, the most in a day at this ground as it was Indian pacer Mohammad Shami (5/44 off 16 overs) who shone brightest. India was at 16/1 with a lead of 146 runs over South Africa at the stumps on Day 3 of the ongoing first Test at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
The visiting side is in full control in the game but has lost its opener, Mayank Agarwal, early in the second innings. Marco Jensen was the only wicket-taker for South Africa in the second innings of Indian batting.
Mohammad Shami Is Only The 5th Indian Pacer To Reach The Milestone Of 200 Test Wickets
Mohammad Shami is now the 11th Indian bowler to pick up 200 or more wickets and only the fifth fast bowler to reach the milestone. He is only behind Kapil Dev (434), Ishant Sharma (311), Zaheer Khan (311), and Javagal Srinath (236), at the moment.
“Indian pace bowling is a formidable one because each and every member has worked hard and achieved it all with their sheer hard work. They have created their own little niche for themselves and yes they are the ones who have put in an immense amount of hard work in the last 6-7 years. They are here on their own,” said Mohammad Shami at the post-match presentation.
Mohammad Shami (16-5-44-5) and his pace bowling colleagues Jasprit Bumrah (7.2-2-16-2), Mohammed Siraj (15.1-3-45-1), and Shardul Thakur (11-1-51-2) further enhanced their reputation as world-beaters by dismissing the Proteas for mere 197. Temba Bavuma top-scored for South Africa with his 52-run knock.
The pace quartet neutralized Lungi Ngidi’s lion-hearted morning spell which saw him finish on 6 for 71 from 24 overs as India lost seven wickets from 55 runs to be all-out on 327. With a first-innings lead of 130, India at stumps reached 16 for 1 losing Mayank Agarwal’s wicket.
Jasprit Bumrah, in his follow-through, twisted his ankle in a nasty manner and walked off the field to receive medical treatment. After delivering the fifth ball of his 6th over, Jasprit Bumrah twisted his ankle and immediately went down on the ground in immense pain. He later joined the action towards the closing stages of the 2nd session.