Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Photo: Sportzpics for BCCI
Veteran speedster Mohammed Shami, who is undergoing rehabilitation following ankle surgery, is likely to return to competitive cricket for his home team Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, with a possible international appearance later in one of the Test matches against New Zealand.
It is understood that Shami will play one or both of Bengal’s opening away Ranji matches against UP on October 11 and the next in Kolkata against Bihar on October 18.
Since there will only be a two-day gap between the two matches, it is unlikely that he will play both.
The New Zealand Test series begins on October 19 in Bengaluru, followed by Test matches in Pune (October 24) and Mumbai (November 1). Shami is expected to play one of those matches before embarking on the big tour to Australia.
Shami, 34, one of India’s finest fast bowlers, last donned the national colours during the ODI World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad on November 19 last year.
Shami has not played a competitive match since then after undergoing ankle surgery in the UK in February this year and was in any case ruled out for a minimum period of six months.
While there are Instagram videos of Shami starting his RTP (Return To Play) routines at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, bowling with a shortened low-intensity run-up, there were reports that he might be available for the Duleep Trophy.
However, it emerged that there was no chance of him being fit during the Duleep Trophy and the selectors do not want to take any risks by rushing him in earlier than required.
The priority is to get India’s top three players (Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj) fit for the five Tests in Australia.
Shami has so far taken 229 wickets in 64 Tests with six five-wicket hauls and 12 four-wicket hauls.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 19, 2024 | 10:13 a.m. IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.