Bharath in Bengaluru
Flashbacks stored in the suburbs of the memory bank are always waiting for their opportunity to emerge. While watching Mohammed Shami’s laboured first two overs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game between Bengal and Baroda, one couldn’t help but spool back in time to when Shami charged to the crease like a gazelle and powered through it akin to a cheetah. The memories were from the 2023 World Cup, where he finished with 24 wickets at an astounding average of just over 10.
The two versions of Shami were vastly different. The veteran fast bowler, who is making a comeback from a serious ankle injury, seemed to be struggling to zip through the crease at the Chinnaswamy. The strides were quite confident. However, by the time the back foot made contact, to the front-foot contact and his follow through, it felt as if he was losing momentum. As a result, he couldn’t bowl at his standard pace. The speeds were anywhere in the range of 80mph to occasionally 85mph.
The effect could be noticed at the other end too as Shami was grappling with his line while bowling to the left-handed Shashwat Rawat, with the extras mounting to five. By the time Shami had completed his third over, his figures didn’t exactly make for a good reading: 40 runs and nothing to show in the wickets column.
At that stage of the innings, once again you started to reminisce about Shami’s spells versus England and twice versus New Zealand in last year’s World Cup. A small miracle, however, was waiting to happen. Maybe it was all the chants or “Shami bhai, Shami bhai” from the sparse but very vocal crowd that galvanised the experienced cricketer. Some pride was at stake too as being smashed around in the lower rungs of cricket would have bruised his ego a bit.
In his final over, a turbocharged Shami raced to the crease and was able to transfer the momentum. Shami had ramped up his pace; it looked closer to 140 kph. Suddenly from nowhere, he nailed three yorkers. Be it from round or over the wicket, the angle didn’t seem to matter. Shami also picked up two wickets in that over and completed his quota with 2 for 43.
The larger picture in all of this was gauging Shami’s fitness. If the fast bowler had bowled at similar intensity levels for a majority of his four overs, it would have been crystal clear that this was the right time for the paceman to fly over to Australia and partake in the ongoing Test series. But that wasn’t the case. The encouraging part is that the nuts and bolts of his bowling mechanics seem to be getting better after every game.
Whatever the future holds for Shami, that one single over enthralled the audience. It was pleasing to observe a fast bowler winning the hearts of the public in a format where fours and sixes rule the roost.