OTD: Birthday of 2023 World Cup's highest wicket-taker Mohmmed Shami

September 3, 1990: birthday of star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, whose international debut turned into a piece of masterclass. In his first international match for India, in Tests, Shami took 9 for 118 against the West Indies in Kolkata in 2013, which still stands as the best match figures on debut for an Indian fast bowler.

But he liked to choose World Cups to show his true character. ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will always be remembered for his bowling brilliance. After missing the first three matches, the fast bowler became the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 24 scalps with an economy rate of 5.26 in 7 matches. Before that, in 2015 in Australia, the speed star bagged 17 wickets at 17.29, despite having an injured knee. During the next edition, he claimed 14.

Shami was an instrumental figure when Virat Kohli came in charge of leading Team India in Test cricket. During Virat's first Test tour against Australia, Shami got 15 wickets in 3 matches. Shami could have accumulated more wickets to his name if he did not suffer from multiple injuries. 

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Career graph took a sudden dive

The phase after the 2023 World Cup proved to be the toughest for Mohammed Shami. He had to undergo surgery and remained outside the field for a long time. After that, his career path was never the same as before. Mohammed Shami's best moments for India perhaps were the record-breaking 7-wicket haul in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and a World Cup hat-trick against Afghanistan in the same tournament. 

In 64 Test matches, the 34-year-old bowler struck 229 times; in ODIs, he got 206 wickets in 108 matches, though his T20I stats may not look as attractive as his numbers in the other two formats. The Uttar Pradesh-born has only 27 wickets in 25 T20Is.