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Shami will lead Bengal’s pace attack in the Elite Group C match against Madhya Pradesh, which is scheduled to take place at Holkar Stadium in Indore from Wednesday.
Mohammed Shami will play for Bengal in Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who last played a competitive match on November 19, 2023, is all set to make a comeback. According to an official release by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Tuesday (November 12), the 34-year-old pacer has been added to the Bengal squad and will lead the team’s fast bowling attack in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group C match against Madhya Pradesh.
The fifth group-stage match of the ongoing season for Bengal, which will mark Shami’s comeback, is scheduled to take place at Holkar Stadium in Indore from Wednesday (November 13) onwards.
“Shami’s inclusion in the Bengal team will not just be a big boost but also lift the morale of the entire team, which aims to make it to the next round of the Ranji Trophy,” read CAB’s statement.
At present, Bengal sit at No. 5 position in the Elite Group C table with eight points from four matches.
“He is a valuable player for India, and for the team his service will be required for the Australia series. Recently, he mentioned how keen he is about playing a couple of Ranji games for Bengal before travelling to Australia. Good outings in the Ranji Trophy will be good for him ahead of the Australia tour and will be a big boost for us; our four key players are playing for India and India A,” Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla had told The Indian Express.
Shami, who was not included in India’s 18-member squad picked for the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia, would like to come up with a big show in his first match after almost a year.
Before getting injured, Shami was in red-hot form for Men in Blue, and in seven matches of the ODI World Cup 2023, which was played entirely in India, he picked up 24 wickets. Shami registered the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in ODIs on November 15, 2023, during the first semifinal match of the ODI World Cup, which was played against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In that match, which the Rohit Sharma-led side won by 70 runs, Shami picked up 7 wickets for 57 runs in 9.5 overs.
