India's pace maestro Mohammed Shami is leaving no stone unturned to prepare himself for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia. Shami is expected to join India squad for the last two matches of the Test series against Australia. currently showcasing his exceptional all-round abilities in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25. In a thrilling knockout match against Chandigarh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Shami delivered a stellar performance with both bat and ball.
Mohammed Shami runs riot with fiery batting in SMAT
Renowned for his devastating bowling, Shami surprised everyone with a brilliant batting cameo. Batting down the order, he played a crucial role in helping Bengal post a competitive total.
Walking in at number ten, Shami's innings was a stark contrast to the struggles of the top and middle order. He unleashed a flurry of powerful strokes, taking the attack to the Chandigarh bowlers.
With Bengal reeling at 114/8, Shami took charge and rescued his team from a precarious position. The pacer, who is regaining full fitness, displayed exceptional batting prowess, particularly in the final over against the renowned death bowler, Sandeep Sharma. Shami smashed two magnificent square-cut sixes and a boundary in the final over, showcasing his ability to perform under pressure. In a match where the specialist batters faltered, Shami's extraordinary performance was the highlight.
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Shami's unbeaten 32 runs off just 17 balls, with a strike rate of over 188, included three fours and two sixes. His explosive knock propelled Bengal to a respectable total of 159 runs, a feat that seemed unlikely given the earlier struggles of the batting lineup. This innings marked Shami's highest score in T20 cricket. Prior to this match, he had only hit two sixes in his entire T20 career. Not just this he also went on script a history be notching the highest not-out score while batting at no.10 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy's history. Overall, Shami is just behind Odisha's Rajesh Mohanty who scored 36 runs while batting at no.10 in 2019 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Chattisgarh.
List of batters with highest score while batting at no.10 or below in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:
| Player | Runs | Out/NotOut | Team | Opponet | Year |
| Rajesh Mohanty | 36 | Out | Odisha | Chattisgarh | 2019 |
| Mohammed Shami | 32 | Not Out | Bengal | Chandigarh | 2024 |
| Shaurya Sanadia | 30 | Not Out | Saurashtra | Maharashtra | 2017 |
| Dharmendrasinh Aniruddsinh Jadeja | 29 | Not Out | Saurashtra | Gujarat | 2017 |
| Kshemal Makarand Waingankar | 28 | Not Out | Mumbai | Maharashtra | 2013 |
