Last Update on: November 2nd, 2023 at 11:27 pm
Mohammed Shami has been in red-hot form in ICC World Cup 2023.
Mohammed Shami has become India's leading wicket-taker in ODI World Cups.
The 33-year-old India National Cricket Team pacer Mohammed Shami was at his sensational best in the 33rd match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, November 2.
Shami wasn’t the first-choice pacer of Team India in the World Cup 2023, but he made his way into the playing XI after all-rounder Hardik Pandya got injured and since then he has delivered back-to-back stupendous performances to make himself undroppable.
In just three matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Shami has picked 14 wickets, including a four-wicket haul and two five-wicket hauls, with the latest coming against Sri Lanka. He finished with the figures of 5-1-18-5 and helped India bowl out Sri Lanka for 55 and win by 302 runs.
With his exceptional performance, Shami became the second bowler after Waqar Younis in ODI history to bag three consecutive 4-plus wicket hauls more than once, having done the same in World Cup 2019. Notably, the Pakistan great achieved this feat three times (twice in 1990 and once in 1994).
Mohammed Shami also became the leading wicket-taker for India in the history of the ODI World Cups and he has played just 14 innings so far. He also equaled Mitchell Starc’s record for most five-wicket hauls in World Cups.
Most wickets for India in World Cup:
45 – Mohammed Shami*
44 – Zaheer Khan
44 – Javagal Srinath
33 – Jasprit Bumrah
31 – Anil Kumble
Most ODI five-fors for India:
4 – Mohammed Shami
3 – Javagal Srinath
3 – Harbhajan Singh
Most 5-fer in ODI World Cups:
3 – Mitchell Starc
3 – Mohammed Shami
“I always try to bowl in good areas and be in good rhythm” – Mohammed Shami
After winning the Player of the Match award, Mohammed Shami said that the bowling unit of the Indian team is in good shape and they are enjoying each other’s company. He said:
“Our bowling is in good shape and with the kind of rhythm (talking about the form of the pacers) that we are in, everyone is enjoying and everyone is happy for each other’s success, and more importantly, we are bowling as a unit and that’s the result you are getting to see.”
Mohammed Shami added that his goal is to bowl in good areas and remain in a good rhythm. He also said that he is delighted to become the leading wicket-taker for India in ODI World Cup history. He elaborated:
“I always try to bowl in good areas and be in good rhythm. In big tournaments, once the rhythm goes away, it’s very tough to get it back. I always focus on hitting the good areas and length.
“Very happy (on becoming India’s leading wicket-taker in World Cups) It’s very important to be in rhythm in white ball cricket and hit the good areas. If you hit the good areas with the new ball you will get assistance off the pitch and for me length matters a lot. The kind of support we get from the crowd, I want to thank each and every one of them. We also get a lot of support whenever we travel outside India as well. The dressing room is in a very good space.”
