Shami makes a stylish comeback to big-ticket cricket

Rohit Sharma's words of wisdom proved to be spot on as Mohammed Shami marked his return to the cricket field in style. With a remarkable five-wicket haul against Bangladesh, he now holds the title of the highest wicket-taker for India in ICC ODI events. It's not just about the numbers, but getting back to playing that truly matters for some players in the game.

We know Shami loves the big stage. His numbers keep getting better. With Thursday’s efforts, five of his six five-fers have come in an ICC event. This was no ordinary comeback for the Amroha fast bowler. For fourteen long months, Shami had to endure the pain of surgical injections, experienced the endless wait for his swelled ankle to return to shape, for strapping to come off his injured knee. The pacer from Bengal has gone under the knife before. Rarely are fast bowlers living a pain free existence. But it gets tougher in your mid-30’s.

“I always wondered when I would be able to put my feet on the ground again, as someone who is used to running on the field constantly was now in crutches,” Shami told ICC.tv. “A lot of thoughts used to run through my mind. Will I be able to do it again? Will I be able to walk without a limp? For the first two months, I often doubted whether I would be able to play again.”

Play again he did, first in T20I cricket as his rehab was watchfully executed. By playing in two of the three ODIs against England, Shami proved a point that he was good enough to carry the burdens of multiple spells in 50 overs cricket. In terms of productivity, Shami only got 2 wickets but as Rohit said, “whether he gets wicket or not was immaterial”.

Shami gets wickets when it matters the most. Think of the 2015 ODI World Cup, the 2019 ODI World Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup. It’s Shami who has had the maximum impact. Either topping the wicket-taking charts, or even when he’s not taking wickets , he’s setting them up for his fellow bowlers.

Shami’s done most of his damage in ODI cricket, the more traditional of the two white-ball formats. His ball usually does the talking in a more traditional fashion too, by hitting the seam, which seemingly obeys his every command. In India’s tournament opener, Shami also showed how he has evolved with the times with three of his five wickets came off slower balls.

With the new ball, it was the same old story. Same old Shami, getting the ball to nip off the seam. In the first over of the day, Shami set the ball rolling by getting one to seam into the left-handed Soumya Sarkar, who made the elementary error of challenging Shami’s accuracy with a horizontal stroke too early. Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5) was Shami’s next victim, the bowler catching the right-hander’s outside edge to slip.

In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Shami’s is shouldering the additional burden of breaking partnerships when things are slipping away. Sloppy Indian fielding allowed Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridoyto to put on a concerning 154-run sixth wicket partnership. But the pacer rose to the occasion and ended Jaker Ali’s innings, just when it looked like he wanted to change gears.

“The desire to wear the India badge on my chest kept me going,” Shami said. “You endure the pain and take it one step at a time without complaints or bitterness. It was tough and there was pain, but with resilience and patience I made it through.”

The satisfies smile on his face as he led the team off the park made it all worth it. It was a bowling spell that touched several landmarks too. One of which was to go past 200 ODI wickets in fewest balls. Ahead of the pack, in his own understated way.

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