Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who was out of action due to an injury since the 2023 ODI World Cup, has started practicing again in the nets, which is a big step towards his comeback in competitive cricket. Shami had a right heel injury that needed surgery, and he has been closely monitored by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The 33-year-old bowler had surgery on his Achilles tendon earlier this year, which made him miss the series against Australia, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, and the ICC T20 World Cup.
Despite facing some challenges, Shami is now getting ready to play again and posted a video on Instagram showing him carefully practicing bowling in the training area. Even though he has healed from his ankle injury, he hasn’t started bowling with full power yet. Shami is working hard to get back into shape and needs approval from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) before he can play in matches again. He wrote in his post, “Feeling good with the latest, working hard for the best. #shami #mdshami #mdshami11 #hardwork #practice.” Shami was India’s best bowler in the 2023 ODI World Cup, taking 24 wickets in seven games with an average of 10.70. Even with an ankle injury, he played a big part in India’s strong showing during the ICC event in India. But, Shami felt pain in his ankle before the England series in January and couldn’t recover quickly enough.
Because of continuous ankle pain, Shami had to leave the South Africa series. India gave new players Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep their first chance in the 2024 Test season. But Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh made sure that Shami’s absence wasn’t too noticeable during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Together, Bumrah and Arshdeep took 32 wickets in the tournament, helping India win the championship by beating South Africa in the final. Hardik Pandya also played a big part with his bowling, which was important for India’s victory even though Shami wasn’t there to help with the fast bowling.
India is planning to visit Sri Lanka later this month for a series of limited-overs cricket matches, consisting of three T20 matches and three one-day internationals. It is unlikely that Mohammed Shami will be part of the team for these matches because he is still working on improving his bowling speed and waiting for approval from the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to reveal the teams for the Sri Lanka tour on Wednesday, July 17.
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