Kane Williamson's troublesome time against Mohammed Shami in T20 cricket continued as he became Gujarat Titans’ (GT) fast bowler's victim for the fifth time. Williamson was castled by a peach of a delivery by Shami that went through the gap between bat and pads.
Shami vs Williamson numbers
This is the fifth time in 11 T20 innings that Shami has outsmarted the Kiwi skipper. He has an average of 14 against the 31-year-old. However, Williamson has managed to score 70 runs from 52 balls at a strike rate of 132 against the pacer. Also, this is the ninth time Shami has taken Williamson’s wicket (including all formats).
Concerning strike rate
In the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, Williamson had started off (first 10 deliveries) with a strike rate just over 50 which was worst among batters who have played five or more games so far. He had a similar performance against the Titans with five runs to his name from eight deliveries including a boundary off Shami in the same over he lost his wicket.
Menacing Shami with new ball
On the other hand, the Indian pacer got rid of Rahul Tripathi in his third over during fielding restrictions. Tripathi hit him for a six and two consecutive fours before getting trapped in front of the wickets. The on-field umpire did not raise his fingers but Pandya decided to review the decision and it worked in Titans’ favour. The two wickets helped Shami become the highest wicket-taker in the season during powerplay overs with eight wickets to his name.
Shami was expensive in his first spell as he conceded 29 runs from three overs but managed to get two big wickets after Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
More numbers
Williamson's strike rate has been below par in the ongoing season. In eight games, he has scored 148 runs at an average of 21.14 but at a disappointing strike rate of 93.08. Meanwhile, Shami is a contender to win the purple cap. He already has 12 wickets in the season.
