Shami's Sharp Bowling Crucial to India's Dominance

Demolition guy at work. When Mohammed Shami has the ball in his hand and is hitting rival batter after rival hitter, such a statement seems apt.

Without a question, Shami's sharp and penetrating bowling has been crucial to India's dominance in this World Cup final. By taking as many as 23 wickets in only six matches, Shami has shown how effective and deadly his bowling is on grounds that are not particularly conducive to speed, with some of them being the most serene and tame.

has existed.

Aaron Finch, the former captain of Australia's white-ball team who led his country to victory in the 2021 T20 World Cup, is amazed by Shami. "Shami is unquestionably the greatest (pacer) in the world right now.

Commentator for this World Cup, Finch, said, "At the moment, there's hardly anyone who can come close to him," on the sidelines of Australia vs. South Africa on Thursday at Eden Gardens.

The senior bowler pulled up five-fors even against batting heavyweights in Dharamsala and the Wankhede, demonstrating his belief in his offensive bowling and his ability to think wickets.

Former England fast Steven Finn, who played a Test match at the Eden in December 2012 and is presently commentating in the tournament, said, "Obviously, Shami's seam-positioning kind of sets him apart."

Finn, who participated in 36 Tests, 69 ODIs, and 21 T20Is, said that "the trajectory that he's able to get also helps him as it goes on to deceive the batsmen, creating doubts in their minds."

Finn, however, disagrees with Finch that Shami is now the finest fast bowler. "I wouldn't claim that. There are bowlers like Josh Hazlewood and (Jasprit) Bumrah, whose bowling I really like," said the 34-year-old. One might see a plethora of variations in a bowler such as Bumrah. He is proficient with both the old and new balls and has the slower yorker.

But Finch and Finn both feel that all-rounder Hardik Pandya's ankle injury, which kept him out of the Cup after India's match against Bangladesh in Pune, was really a good thing for the team since it allowed Shami to move up to the starting XI.

Yes, it is one element (the Pandya injury)... Being in the XI at the time could not have been easy for him, Finn added. Undoubtedly, Pandya's absence contributed to Shami's success.

Play square.

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful believes that playing square off the wicket is one method batters can put Shami at bay.

With his recent bowling style, Shami has been moving the ball away from the batter and into the batsman, making it speak.

His wrist placement also matters in this situation.

However, from the batsman's perspective, you can hold him at bay if you try to play him square off the wicket.

Ashraful, who was in the Eden media box, said, "For example, if you look at Devon Conway's dismissal yesterday (Wednesday), he could have been saved had he tried to play it between point and cover instead of trying to play diagonally."

Additionally, Ashraful advised being a bit more cautious and playing him straight for at least his first two overs.

Over Kohli's assistance

Mumbai: While the cricket community worldwide is celebrating Virat Kohli's 50th ODI century, former Australian bowler Simon O'Donnell has attacked New Zealand's attempt to support the legendary batsman while he was experiencing cramps during this World Cup semi-final.

The 35-year-old Kohli was seen with cramps during his 117 off 113 balls.

O'Donnell said he had a "problem" with the New Zealand players choosing to help the prominent Indian batsman who was experiencing cramping.

"I ran into an issue last night. O'Donnell, who played 87 One-Day Internationals for Australia, stated on Sen Radio, "Virat Kohli gets cramp, they're heading for 400 and (New Zealand) blokes go over and help him."

Why did you go to assist Virat Kohli during his cramp? Playing within the law is part of the spirit of the game. Would you want to go over and provide a helping hand to Kohli when he's destroying your country?

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.