Mohammed Shami faced criticism for breaking his Ramzan fast during Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia. He defended his actions, citing religious allowances for demanding duties and highlighting the physical strains of professional cricket.
The veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami was heavily criticized for breaking fast during the holy month of Ramzan, the festival celebrated by millions of Muslims worldwide, while playing in the Champions Trophy 2025. Shami was playing in the semifinal against Australia at the Dubai International Stadium when the pacer was spotted consuming an energy drink in the middle of the match, which sparked outrage among Muslim clerics.
Muslim cleric Maulana Bareilvi criticized him for not fasting during Ramzan and labelled him a ‘traitor’ for not following the sacred traditions of the holy month. However, Mohammed Shami received support from the likes of Javed Akhtar, Congress spokesperson and leader Shama Mohamad, and several former cricketers, who emphasized the physical demands of professional cricket and allowances in Islam for those unable to fast due to work or health obligations.
Though Team India defeated the reigning World Champions, Australia, in the semifinal and qualified for the final, the criticism around Mohammed Shami’s decision to break the fast during the holy month of Ramzan dominated social media and new debates.
‘Even our law allows us certain exceptions’
Despite criticism by a Muslim cleric, who labelled him ‘traitor’, Mohammed Shami defended his decision to have drinks during the Champions Trophy semifinal, stating that there are certain exceptions when it comes to physically demanding duties, especially playing for the country.
“We are playing a match in 42 or 45 degrees, we are sacrificing ourselves. Even in our law, there are exceptions for cases like these, if you are doing something for the country or traveling. People should understand these things,” Shami told News24.
“I understand that people see others as role models, but they should also understand what exactly the person is doing, and for whom. Even our law allows us certain exceptions, we can either pay a penalty for that or compensate for that later, which I did,” he added.
Mohammed Shami was the second-highest wicket-taker for Team India in the Champions Trophy, scalping 9 wickets, including a fifer, at an average of 25.88 and an economy rate of 5.68 in five matches. In the final against New Zealand, Shami did not have an ideal outing as he picked a wicket while conceding 74 runs at an economy rate of 8.22 in nine overs.
Shami on trolls against muslim cricketers
Mohammed Shami has been no stranger to getting trolled if Team India loses a match. When the Men in Blue lost to Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup, their first-ever defeat in the World Cup, Shami received a severe backlash on social media, with trolls targeting him personally and questioning his commitment to the team.
Similarly, Shami was brutally trolled for stopping doing ‘sajda’ after completing his five-wicket haul in the 2023 World Cup match against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Responding to trolls against Indian muslim cricketers, the 34-year-old does not pay heed to such trolling, stating that failure is part and parcel of the game. The pacer emphasized the importance of being focused rather than getting distracted by negativity.
“I pay no heed to such trolling. I have been given a job. I am not a machine. If I am working hard throughout the year, sometimes I will fail, sometimes I will succeed. It’s up to people how they want to take that,” Shami said.
“When you play for your country, you forget all such things. For you, taking wickets and winning the match become more important. I don’t want to go on social media at such times. You see both positive and negative comments. When you’re playing, you need to stay far away from such things,” he added.
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Meanwhile. Mohammed Shami has made his return to competitive cricket for the ongoing Duleep Trophy, where the pacer will play for East Zone in the quarterfinal match against North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) ground in Bengaluru.