Duleep Trophy: Mohammed Shami falters on First-Class return
What's the story
Veteran Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami had a disappointing return to First-Class cricket in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final against North Zone in Bengaluru. Playing for East Zone, Shami delivered ineffective spells across both innings and managed to scalp a solitary wicket in the game. Though the game was drawn, North Zone advanced to the semis due to the first-innings lead. Here we decode Shami's performance.
1st innings
Expensive spell in first innings
Though Shami proved his match fitness by delivering 23 overs in the first innings of the game, he could not inflict much damage. He gave away 100 runs at an economy rate of 4.3. Number-seven batter Sahil Lotra, who was out for 19, was his only victim as North Zone finished at 405/10. Shami's inability to strike with the new ball hurt EZONE.
3rd innings
11 wicket-less overs in the third innings
Shami's misery continued in the third innings as he bowled 11 wicket-less overs, conceding 36 runs at an economy of 3.3. He did not deliver a single ball on Day 4 of the game. Owing to the same, NZONE's second innings ended at 658-4d. The team advanced to the next stage on the basis of a massive 175-run first innings lead.
Previous performance
Can Shami script a Test comeback?
Shami's last Test match was during the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2023. He was omitted from India's recent five-match Test series against England due to fitness issues. Despite this setback, Shami has remained determined to make a comeback into the national side. Notably, he took seven wickets in his only outing in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. He missed the other games due to fitness concerns.
IPL performance
Shami's performance in IPL 2025
In the 2025 Indian Premier League season, Shami played for Sunrisers Hyderabad but had a disappointing run. He took just six wickets in nine bowling innings at an economy rate of 11.23 per over. The veteran pacer missed the 2024 IPL season due to ankle surgery and knee-related issues. His return to competitive cricket came in the 2024-25 domestic season after he last played for India in the ODI World Cup final in November 2023.
Career
Over 300 wickets in FC cricket
Having played 90 FC games, Shami has raced to 340 wickets at an average of around 27, as per ESPNcricinfo. His stellar record features 18 four-fers besides 12 five-wicket hauls (10WM: 2). Notably, Shami has picked 229 Test wickets in 64 matches for Team India at an average of 27.71 runs per wicket. Six of his fifers have come in Test cricket.