Mohammed Shami takes 4/13 as Bengal defeat Services in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Star India pacer Mohammed Shami on Thursday bowled match-winning figures of 3.2-0-13-4 to limit Services to 165 in their
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Bengal, which the latter went past in the 16th over to register yet another win in the
Bengal registered their fourth victory in five matches and, with 16 points, Abhimanyu Easwaran’s team now sits atop the
points table, looking well on course for a spot in the knockouts.
Easwaran, eyeing the upcoming IPL auction, strengthened his case with a brisk 58 off 37 deliveries as Bengal cruised to
a target of 166, wrapping up the chase in just 16 overs.
This was made possible by ‘Player of the Match’ Shami, who delivered a brilliant 4/13 in less than four overs and India
international Akash Deep (3/27), as the duo restricted Services to a modest 165 in the penultimate over.
Shami struck twice in his opening burst, dismissing openers Gaurav Kocchar (0) and Ravi Chauhan (26 off 9). In contrast,
returning pacer Mukesh Kumar (0/53 in 3 overs) endured a tough outing, taken apart by the batters.
Off-spinner Writtick Chatterjee (2/32 in 4) and Akash chipped in with vital middle-order breakthroughs, before Shami
returned in his last spell to clean up the tail.
Meanwhile, after India’s four-wicket defeat to South Africa on Wednesday, despite scoring 358, former cricketer
Harbhajan Singh questioned Shami’s absence from the Indian bowling lineup.
“Where is Shami? I don’t know why Shami is not playing. I get it, you have Prasidh, he is a good bowler, but he still
has a lot to learn. You had good bowlers and you have slowly sidelined them," Harbhajan said while speaking on his
After the team announcement for the Test series against the Windies, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said that he
had no clear update on Shami’s fitness. That statement upset the latter, who said that it was not his job to update the
selectors about his fitness, suggesting it should be the other way round.