The retirement of Mohammed Shami from Test cricket late on Friday evening – more than three years after he played his last Test against Australia at The Oval in 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final – is more of a symbolic move.
The three formats of the game now sees the top cricketers phasing out their retirements and hence the day after, the talk in the air is whether the veteran paceman still nurses hopes for one last hurrah at the 2027 World Cup.
Why not, one may ask as the 36-year-old may gently remind the powers that-be that he was the highest wicket-taker in the 2023 showpiece at home with 24 wickets – despite playing only seven matches of the 11 till the final. If the two batting mainstays during India’s dream run to the final in that edition: topscorer Virat Kohli and second highest rungetter Rohit Sharma can be very much on Gautam Gambhir’s plans for the campaign despite them being on the wrong side of 30s, Shami had done enough to stake a claim.
However, it’s different strokes for different folks in Indian cricket as the team management has apparently decided to move on from Shami – while a similar gameplan may be emerging around the utility man Ravindra Jadeja for the ODIs. Now that he has cut his ties with the red ball (where Shami is India’s sixth most successful pacer with 229 wickets from 64 Tests), it’s unlikely that the reticent man will speak his mind – for he has been snubbed on far too many occasions over last two seasons despite proving his match fitness and form.
The Shami fan, and there is a legion of them, may still live in hope. However, it’s more of pragmatism rather than hopes of making the white ball set-up again which sees him continue in shorter formats – what with the auction for IPL 2027 round the corner. He is also content to play the elder brother of the pace attack for his adopted state Bengal as they are in the middle of a Ranji campaign while the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for T20s is also starting next week.
What made Shami one of India’s most dependable fast bowlers across conditions and on the biggest stages for more than a decade? The powerful run-up to the wicket, a perfect seam position which aspirant fast bowlers have tried to emulate and an ability to generate seam movement and swing with both the new and old ball made him a dangerous customer.
Shami made his Test debut against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in 2013 and quickly established himself as a key part of India’s pace attack along with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His ability to deliver in challenging conditions made him particularly effective away from home – with 145 wickets coming in 41 away Tests, at an average of 30.33. He had an even greater impact at home picking 76 wickets at an average of 22.1.
Interestingly, South Africa was among the places where the man from Sahaspur Alinagar, a remote village in Amroah in UP, produced some of his most memorable performances. A significant one was during India’s 2018 tour when he took 5/28 in the second innings of the Johannesburg Test to help secure a consolation victory. The next tour saw him claiming eight wickets in the first Test at Centurion as India registered another memorable win.
Come next year, it’s unlikely that Shami will get an opportunity to steam in the helpful decks of that country!