Shami faces bleak outcome with place unlikely for England series following an underwhelming IPL for the Sunrisers.
Mohammed Shami faces bleak outcome as he is unlikely to make India’s squad for the England Test series.
Mohammed Shami, a fast bowler, is not expected to be included in India’s team for the June 20 start of their five-Test tour to England. He has not accrued the required workload for Test cricket, despite being able to bowl for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the current IPL. Since the June 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia, he has not participated in a Test match.
According to reports, a member of the BCCI medical team visited Lucknow this week in order to evaluate Shami before SRH’s May 23 matchup with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The selectors had desired for Shami to be a member of the India A team. However, that idea was dropped because it was unclear if he would be able to bowl for extended periods of time.
Although the selectors’ decision to choose him for the test has not been verified, it is likely that they will play it safe and not choose him until the medical staff provides a positive report.
Shami’s recovery
After a successful recovery from ankle surgery in February 2024, Shami, 34, began to feel pain in his right knee, which prompted him to seek therapy. Although it hasn’t stopped him from bowling, it has hampered his plans to progressively increase his workloads in preparation for Test matches, which has made the Indian selection panel question if it would be feasible to select him for the England tour.
Shami played with agony as India advanced to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was the top wicket-taker before to his ankle injury issues. Due to his injury, recuperation from surgery, and knee problems, he missed all of India’s 2024 matches. He finally returned to international action in January of this year during the limited-overs series against England.
India’s selection committee is expected to select a substitute for Shami from among Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, and Harshit Rana if Shami is not selected.