India's pace maestro Mohammed Shami has given Team India a fresh injury scare, which he picked during Bengal's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh on Friday, November 29 at the at the Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Saurashtra.
Mohammed Shami picks fresh injury during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match
While bowling the penultimate over, Shami fell awkwardly while attempting to stop the ball. He immediately grabbed his lower back and appeared to be in discomfort. The medical team including, Nitin Patel, head of the Centre of Excellence’s medical panel, rushed onto the field to assess his condition.
Notably, Patel and his medical team have traveled to Rajkot to monitor Shami's recovery closely. Despite the injury scare, Shami was able to complete his over after receiving brief medical attention. However, Bengal ultimately lost the match by a narrow margin.
Mohammed Shami made a much-anticipated return to competitive cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His comeback began with a mixed bag of performances. In his first match against Punjab, he struggled to contain the batters, conceding 46 runs and taking just one wicket.
However, Shami quickly bounced back in the next game against Hyderabad, delivering a stellar performance with figures of 3/21. Unfortunately, his form dipped again in the match against Mizoram, where he leaked 46 runs without taking a wicket.
In his most recent match against Madhya Pradesh, Shami's performance was underwhelming once more, as he finished with figures of 0/38. As far as the match is concerned, Madhya Pradesh secured a thrilling six-wicket victory over Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, putting themselves in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stage.
Bengal, batting first, posted a respectable total of 189/9. Abishek Porel and Karan Lal provided a solid start, while Shahbaz Ahmed, Shakir Habib Gandhi, and Sudip Kumar Gharami made crucial contributions to the total.
In reply, Madhya Pradesh's openers struggled to get going. However, a blistering innings from Rajat Patidar (68 runs off 40 balls) and a crucial knock from Subhransu Senapti (50 runs off 33 balls) kept their team in the hunt.
With 12 runs needed off the final six balls, Harpreet Singh Bhatia finished the match in style, securing a six-wicket victory for Madhya Pradesh with two balls to spare.
Mohammed Shami's Border-Gavaskar Trophy's return doubtful
Shami's fresh injury has once again put his Border-Gavaskar Trophy in jeopardy. He made a successful return to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy after a year-long absence. He displayed impressive form and fitness throughout the match, raising hopes for his inclusion in India's squad for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 Test series against Australia.
Following his Ranji Trophy performance, there were speculations about Shami being sent to Australia for the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which was scheduled to take place in Adelaide.
