Mohammed Shami. (Photo SourceL: X(Twitter)
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami was presented the prestigious Arjuna award for his stellar performances on the cricket field on Tuesday, January 09 by the honourable President of India Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The speedster had a phenomenal year with the ball as he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023 with 24 wickets from seven innings at an average of 10.70 and an economy of 5.26.
However, he couldn’t feature in the recent Test series against South Africa due to an ankle injury which troubled him throughout the World Cup. Notably, Shami has been a constant part of India’s ODI and Test teams but it has been a while since he played in T20Is. The Uttar Pradesh-born seamer last featured in the shortest format of international cricket during the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final against England which India lost by ten wickets.
Also Read: Mohammed Shami conferred with Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in cricket
Recently, Shami opened up on his willingness to play T20Is again but revealed that there’s a lack of clarity with the board as he’s unaware whether he’s in contention for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 or not.
“Whenever it comes to T20s, many times I don’t understand whether I am in scene or not. But what I feel is that you have IPL before the T20 World Cup and that is the best opportunity to bring in momentum, and if management will ask me to play, I’ll be available,” Shami told India Today.
Also Read: Mohammed Shami targets comeback during England Tests
Mohammed Shami won the Purple Cap in IPL 2023
Notably, Shami scalped six wickets from six matches during the T20 World Cup 2022 at an average of 23.83 and an economy of 7.15. He has 24 wickets to his name from 23 matches at an average of 29.62 and an economy of 8.94. He also won the coveted Purple Cap for finishing as the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2023 having 28 wickets to his name from 17 innings at an average of 18.64 and an economy of 8.03.
Considering Shami’s recent form, another brilliant IPL season could well lead to his selection in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 beginning from June 01.