Mohammed Shami took a five-wicket haul to power Bengal to victory in a Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat.
Mohammad Shami picks up first first-class five-for since 2021
Bengal set Gujarat a 327-run target in the fourth innings at Eden Gardens. The hosts cruised to a 141-run victory, thanks to Shami, who ran through the opposition batting order with figures of 5-38, bowling Gujarat out for 185. Urvil Patel's lone, unbeaten 109 went in vain. He also picked up 3-44 in the first innings, playing a supporting role to Shahbaz Ahmed, who took 6-34 to secure a 112-run lead for Bengal.
This was Shami’s first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket in four years, having previously taken 5-44 in a Test against South Africa in 2021.
Match 22, Bengal vs Gujarat
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Shami continues stellar first-class form
An injury sustained during his dream run in the 2023 ODI World Cup kept Shami on the sidelines for nearly a year. He returned to play the white-ball series against England earlier this year before being part of India’s title-winning campaign in the Champions Trophy in February, his last appearance for India in any format.
Since his comeback, he has taken 11 wickets in seven ODIs at an average of 30.63 and an economy rate of 5.92. Of those, five wickets came in a single match against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy. He has also played two T20Is against England, taking three wickets at an average of 16.66 and an economy of 9.09. His last Test appearance, however, remains the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia.
With the ongoing Australia white-ball series being Shami’s latest snub, he has repeatedly expressed his displeasure at his non-selection publicly. At the time of writing, Shami is the joint third-highest wicket-taker in the current Ranji Trophy season, averaging 10.46 with 15 scalps to his name.
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