ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Mohammed Shami on the verge of becoming the fastest to 100 ODI wickets

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami is on the verge of creating a world record heading into the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Shami, who has taken 87 ODI wickets in 47 matches, is chasing Australian pacer Mitchell Starc to become the fastest to 100 ODI wickets. Starc achieved the feat in 52 matches and to go past the Aussie on the list, Shami needs to take 13 wickets in his next four matches.

Ever since making his ODI debut, Shami has been India’s trump card in the format as he possesses everything that is needed to be successful in the format. Ever since making his debut against Pakistan in 2013, Shami has enjoyed a lot of success in the format, spearheading the bowling attack on most of the occasions. He opened the bowling for India and took charge of the death overs until the 2015 ICC World Cup.

Extra cover: Probable bowling attack for India against Pakistan

The death overs used to be a big concern for India in the past, but Shami’s ability to bowl yorkers at will made him a lethal weapon with the ball. In the 47 matches he has played so far, Shami has taken 87 wickets at a healthy average of 24.89 and an economy of 5.54. What makes him stand out from the rest is his impressive strike-rate as the Bengal pacer strikes every 27 balls. Although he is yet to register a fifer, he has taken four wickets in an innings on four occasions with a best of 4/35.

At the end of the 2015 World Cup, Shami and Starc were both competing to beat Saqlain Mushtaq’s record - the Pakistani took 53 matches to claim 100 wickets - but the Indian pacer injured his knee during the World Cup and underwent a surgery that kept him out of action for over 15 months. In the meantime, Starc ploughed on to lay claim to the record.

Extra cover: Reasons behind Mohammad Shami's selection for ICC Champions Trophy

Shami, who is yet to play an ODI match since India’s loss to Australia in the 2015 World Cup, is in contention for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy. The right-arm pacer looked good in the warm-up matches and will look to pick up wickets if he gets a chance to play in the main tournament. If he gets a chance, this record probably won’t be on his mind as he is someone who has put the team ahead of personal milestones in the past.

Let us take a look at the list of bowlers who were the fastest to 100 ODI wickets (in terms of innings).

S.no	Bowler	Team	No. of matches
1	Mitchell Starc	Australia	52
2	Saqlain Mushtaq	Pakistan	53
3	Shane Bond	New Zealand	54
4	Brett Lee	Australia	55
5	Imran Tahir	South Africa	59
6	Waqar Younis	Pakistan	59
6	Irfan Pathan	India	59
6	Morne Morkel	South Africa	59
9	Dennis Lillee	Australia	60
9	Shane Warne	Australia	60
9	Shoaib Akhtar	Pakistan	60
9	Nathan Bracken	Australia	60

*As of June 3, 2017