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Mohammed Shami starred with the ball as India beat New Zealand by 70 runs in their 2023 World Cup semifinal clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15. The 33-year-old registered the best figures in the ongoing marquee ICC tournament, picking up 7/57.
Following his heroics with the ball, Shami revealed his success mantra, saying slower balls worked in his favor because the dew didn’t set in early. The pacer added that he wanted to grab the opportunity in this World Cup with both hands due to limited chances in white-ball cricket. He, however, was gutted to drop an easy catch off Williamson.
Shami said in the post-match conference:
“I tried to take pace off. They were playing their shots. So, I took a chance. The wicket was good. There was the fear of dew. The grass was cut off nicely. The runs were enough. Had dew come in, things could have been bad. The slower balls might not have worked.”
“I was waiting for my turn. I wasn't playing much white ball cricket. I had in mind, we talked about a lot of things like yorkers and slower balls. I tried to take wickets with the new ball. I try to take as many as I can with the new ball. I dropped the catch of Kane. I felt bad.”
He continued:
“I feel amazing. This is a huge platform. We lost in the semis in the 2015 and the 2019 WC. Looking to cash in on the chance I have been given. ”
Shami first removed the openers Devon Conway (13) and Rachin Ravindra (13) before dismissing New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (69) to break the 181-run third-wicket partnership. He also sent back Daryl Mitchell (134) and Tom Latham (silver duck) before wrapping up the tail with the Kiwis not lasting 50 overs.
During his stellar show, Shami (17 innings) eclipsed Australia ace pacer Mitchell Starc’s (19 inns) record by becoming the fastest to complete 50 wickets in the World Cup.
With his spell, Mohammed Shami has now become the leading wicket-taker despite warming the bench in the first four matches. The speedster has bagged 23 wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 5.01, including three five-wicket hauls.
“Shami was brilliant” – Rohit Sharma reacts to Mohammed Shami’s spell in semifinal vs NZ
India captain Rohit Sharma lauded Mohammed Shami for his superb spell on a day when the other bowlers failed to deliver with the ball. He credited the pacer for breaking the crucial partnership between Williamson and Mitchell. In his post-match comments, Sharma said:
“Mitchell and Williamson batted brilliantly. We had to stay calm. The crowd went silent, that's the nature of the game. We knew we had to pull something from our sleeves. We tried everything and Shami was brilliant.”
Mohammed Shami will now look to deliver one final time in the 2023 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19. India will play the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and Australia.
