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Mohammed Shami undercooked for ICC Champions Trophy? Scores 7/10 for fitness & rhythm in Rajkot

Mohammed Shami undercooked for ICC Champions Trophy? Scores 7/10 for fitness & rhythm in Rajkot

Mohammed Shami touched the 140-kmph mark just once in the match.

Mohammed Shami is back in Indian colours after 436 days. Almost 14 months have passed since that infamous ODI World Cup 2023 Final night against Australia, a tournament where Shami ruled the roost. But now, things have changed. He underwent surgery and missed all the international matches and the IPL 2024 and BGT. However, the Rajkot crowd were lucky enough to see Shami’s return, who replaced an in-form Arshdeep Singh in the third T20I against England. But how did Shami fare in his comeback?

How did Shami fare in IND vs ENG 3rd T20I?

Unsurprisingly, Mohammed Shami took the new ball, ready to trouble the English openers. Phil Salt and Ben Duckett, in their usual way, were in an attacking mood. Shami, meanwhile, operated in mid-130 kmph. What was heartening to see was Shami’s seam movement. He is known to have one of the best seam positions in world cricket and that aspect didn’t rust despite his injury. Shami shared the new ball with Hardik Pandya, who was faster than the Bengal pacer.

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Shami still undercooked but…

The rhythm looked good but a bit undercooked. Shami had his usual run-up and tried to bowl with a bit of safe intent. Safe because he didn’t go gaga over sending down deliveries as quick he could. In his first over, Shami moved the ball quite a bit. He bowled a couple of away swingers before shaping one into Salt. In his second over, however, Shami had his tail up but couldn’t trouble an in-form Jos Buttler. Duckett, however, scooped Shami for a six in the last ball of the second over.

Shami was surely not in his best element. Making a comeback after over 400 days is not easy and hence you should cut some slack on him. Shami, who is renowned to create havoc with the new ball, was ordinary in Rajkot. In his last over, the penultimate over of the innings, he even dished out a beamer. However, the free hit ball saw him Shami bowl with variation, offering an off-cutter.

After a lengthy layoff, Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t the only one making a comeback; Shami also returned to action, bowling just three overs. But the bigger picture is that Shami is finally back after a knee issue derailed his plans to join the Australia tour. Prior to that setback, he had been slowly building up his workload, playing in a Ranji Trophy match and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. With the Champions Trophy and England Test series looming, Shami’s return is a huge boost for India nonetheless.

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