Ranji Trophy: Shahbaz Ahmed's six-fer powers Bengal against Gujarat
What's the story
Bengal have put themselves in a commanding position in their ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat at Eden Gardens. The team ended their first innings at 279 before bundling out the visitors for just 167. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed was the start of the second innings, claiming wickets on his return after an injury layoff of over five months due to a shoulder dislocation. Here we decode his performance.
Comeback performance
A sensational return for Shahbaz
Shahbaz, who was doubtful to play and picked for his batting, made a significant impact on his return. He bowled a disciplined 19-over spell and took six wickets for just 34 runs. His victims included captain Manan Hingrajia and Umang Patel. While he claimed four wickets on Day 2, his other two scalps came on Day 3 morning. Meanwhile, ace pacer Mohammed Shami took three wickets in the innings.
Stats
Fifth fifer for Shahbaz
Playing his 35th First-Class game as per ESPNcricinfo, Shahbaz has raced to 109 wickets at an average of around 22-plus. This was his fifth fifer as he also owns six four-wicket hauls. The spinner also has a match haul of 10 wickets. With the bat, he has clocked 1,894 runs at an average of 42-plus. He has tallied 15 50-plus scores, including a hundred.
Shami
350 FC wickets for Shami
With his thirdand final wicket, Shami also completed 350 wickets in First-Class cricket. Across 92 FC games, Shami has raced to 350 wickets at an average of around 27. His stellar record features 19 four-fers besides 12 five-wicket hauls. A couple of games have seen him take wickets for more. Notably, Shami claimed a match haul of seven wickets in Bengal's Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand.