What was it like to watch Mohammed Shami bowl at the Wankhede Stadium in the semi-final against New Zealand? Just think of the fast bowler’s delivery to dismiss Tom Latham and you might get an answer.
As Latham walked out to bat with the score reading 220 for 3, the New Zealand vice-captain would have hoped for relatively easier conditions to bat. Theoretically, at that stage of an ODI innings, you wouldn’t expect the ball to dart around. But Shami had other ideas. From round the wicket and slightly wide of the crease, he angled the ball back into the left-hander and extracted enough nip to trap the batter in front. Rinse, lather and repeat. Or in cricketing parlance, a rare combination of excellence, resilience and supreme fitness.
Those virtues could also be observed when Shami had a new ball in hand. Jasprit Bumrah had a rare off day. Mohammed Siraj, too, was searching for rhythm. Enter Shami. The first ball he bowled in the game, his line was spot on and it straightened just enough to cause indecision in Devon Conway’s mind and produce the edge.
Rachin Ravindra had been in tremendous form in the World Cup. In his brief career, Ravindra has also gained a bit of reputation for showing good judgment outside the off-stump. But even he couldn’t negate the threat of facing a delivery that nibbled just enough to take the edge.
The aforesaid scalps also help us understand the essence of Shami’s tried and tested methods. That his wrist is cocked and right behind the ball is a given. If you take a microscope and analyse his bowling further, then probably his fingers are slightly wider when compared to a genuine swing bowler and the wrist not exactly in a sloping position. In other words, he keeps the seam straight.
So, almost every single time Shami hits the seam, that little bit of nifty movement after pitching leaves the batter gasping for breath. Basically, Shami is more of a seam bowler, who finds a hint of shape in the air with the new ball. He can also hit the deck hard enough if the captain wants him to bowl that way. Lest we forget that Shami also generates considerable contrast swing with the old ball.
But Shami’s bowling isn’t just about having a repeatable action or possessing the required skills in the quiver. Let it be his opening or the final spell of the match, Shami charges to the crease and bowls at waspish pace. So, even in a Test match, the batter would be wary of the fact that he might clock 140 kph in the last over of the day. This exceptional quality was on full display against New Zealand as Shami became the first man to bag three five-wicket hauls in a single World Cup.
The secret behind Shami’s consistent speed is his work ethic. The big-hearted fast bowler has invested his own money to build a training facility in his hometown. The idea flashed in his mind when the lockdown was set to be imposed due to Covid-19. There was a time when Shami was criticised for his lack of fitness. Some five-six years later, he is illuminating the whole of India with his well-oiled craft. At 33, he is a jack of all trades of fast bowling as well as master of most of them.