India’s veteran pacer Mohammed Shami continued to deliver for Bengal in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025. On December 8, Shami claimed another four-wicket haul while he continues to face snub across formats from Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
In the clash against Haryana at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, Shami claimed four wickets in the slog overs. The pacer wasn't impressive with the new ball conceding 20 runs in first two overs. Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran brought him catch to bowl the 18th and 20th over. He delivered with the wickets of Sumit Kumar and Ashish Siwach. On the final two deliveries of the innings, he dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Yashvardhan Dalal and tailender Arpit Rana.
Shami bowled his quota of four overs and conceded 30 runs. He helped Bengal restrict Haryana for 191/9. For Haryana, captain Ankit Kumar (46) and Nishant Sidhu (48) missed their respective half-centuries.
In the run chase, Bengal lost early wickets in the form of opener Karan Lala and Easwaran. Abishek Porel (47) and Writtick Chatterjee (44) kept up with the run chase. Yuvraj Keswani (14-ball 25) contributed with a cameo but Bengal's finishers were not up to the mark. Bengal were bowled out for 167 as Haryana won by 24 runs. Bengal bowed out of the tournament as they could not make it to the Super League stage.
Shami’s numbers in SMAT 2025
Currently, Shami is among the leading wicket-takers of SMAT 2025. From seven games, he claimed 16 wickets at an average of 14.93. His economy rate is 8.90 runs per over.
No place for Shami across formats
Agarkar cited fitness issues behind Shami not being able to make a comeback after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. He was not on the flight to Australia and hasn’t been picked for the home series against South Africa across formats. It seems that he is not in selectors’ plans for T20 World Cup 2026 or the ODI World Cup 2027 despite consistent performances in domestic cricket.