"It's like 8 to 9 hundreds in 14 matches" - Harbhajan Singh on Mohammed Shami's 45 wickets in 14 World Cup games

Harbhajan Singh has pointed out that Mohammed Shami's 45 wickets in 14 World Cup games is equivalent to eight or nine hundreds in as many matches.

India set Sri Lanka a 358-run target in their 2023 World Cup league-stage game in Mumbai on Thursday, November 2. Shami then registered figures of 5/18 in five overs as the Men in Blue bowled out the Lankan Lions for a paltry 55 to complete a 302-run win and book their spot in the semifinals.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Harbhajan was asked about Mohammed Shami reaching 45 World Cup wickets in just 14 games, to which he responded:

"It's a stat that if I have to compare it to a batter, it's like eight to nine hundreds in 14 matches. It is such a huge performance, which we probably do not count. At times it seems like it is a batter-dominated game, there is no doubt about that."

Shami became India's most successful bowler in ODI World Cup history with his five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka. He surpassed Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath, who had picked up 44 wickets in 23 and 34 matches respectively.

---

"It was old-fashioned bowling" - Harbhajan Singh on Mohammed Shami's spell vs Sri Lanka

Mohammed Shami has picked up 14 wickets in the three games he has played in the ongoing World Cup. [P/C: AP]

Harbhajan Singh was further asked about Mohammed Shami's spell against Sri Lanka, to which he replied:

"It was old-fashioned bowling. This is real bowling. Cricket is about basics. The basic thing is that you have to beat the bat and it will only happen when the bat is close to the ball and there is late movement. He makes that happen."

The former India spinner was particularly appreciative of the experienced seamer's upright seam position and ability to make the batters play. He elaborated:

"You might have a lot of variations but those variations are useful only if you have a good stock ball. He has such a good stock ball, the seam is so good, the ball pitches at the same spot and moves either in or out. The most important thing is that he knows how to make the batters play."

Harbhajan cited Angelo Mathews' dismissal as an example of Shami setting up his prey. He explained:

"He knows when to make the batters drive the ball, play on the backfoot, or bowl the bouncer. See how he dismissed Mathews. He first kept the ball away from him and then bowled an absolute full delivery which he completely missed. Then he deceived the new batter and got him caught in the slips."

Harbhajan concluded by saying that Shami's bowling is like flying a kite. He added that he pulls the strings whichever way he wants and that he knows the direction in which the ball will move but the batters don't.