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Jharkhand-born cricketer Shahbaz Nadeem has been a workhorse in Indian domestic cricket for almost two decades. His relentless, hard-nosed, and cagy left-arm spin bowing has resulted in him picking up over 500 first-class wickets and close to 300 scalps in List-A and domestic T20s.
While it looked as if all his hard yards in first-class cricket may never lead to Indian selection, Nadeem finally got an opportunity in the 2019-20 series against South Africa at home.
The 34-year-old picked up four wickets on debut but only played one red-ball game for Team India since the series against England at home in 2021.
Nadeem also set the List-A record for best match figures when he picked up 8/10 in his 10 overs for Jharkhand against Rajasthan in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The performance also included a hat-trick as the left-arm spinner finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
The veteran spinner also achieved the incredible feat of being the leading wicket-taker in consecutive Ranji seasons - 2015-16 and 2016-17.
His domestic exploits saw him being picked up by the Delhi Daredevils (the former name of the Delhi Capitals) ahead of the 2011 season. Nadeem was a consistent performer for the franchise until 2014 and remained with the side, playing sparingly, till 2018.
Nadeem then played for the SunRisers Hyderabad from 2019 to 2021 before moving to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022. There, he hasn't played a game for the last two seasons.
Despite being in and out of the playing XI in his IPL career, the experienced cricketer has played 72 games and picked up 48 wickets at an economy rate of 7.56 runs per over. His consistent line and length often enabled the various captains to maintain control in the middle overs of the innings.
As Nadeem celebrated his 34th birthday on Saturday, August 12, here is a throwback to his five best bowling performances in the IPL.
#1 3/16 vs. Deccan Chargers, IPL 2012
Shahbaz Nadeem's best performance in the IPL came as early as the 2012 season for the Delhi Daredevils. It was the side's fifth game of the season against the Deccan Charges (now known as SunRisers Hyderabad).
Batting first, the Chargers were off to a sensational start at 81/1 in nine overs, with Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel going all guns blazing. However, Nadeem turned the match completely on its head by dismissing the duo in his first two overs.
The left-arm spinner then picked up another vital scalp of JP Duminy in his penultimate over to keep the stranglehold on the Chargers' batting. Nadeem's final figures of 3/16 in four overs indicated his remarkable consistency throughout his spell.
His bowling restricted the Deccan Chargers to only 157 despite their high-flying start. Delhi chased the score down with five balls to spare to win their third straight game and fourth in five matches.
#2 2/19 vs. Mumbai Indians, IPL 2020
Shahbaz Nadeem's last great IPL moment came in the final league game of the 2020 season for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) against the Mumbai Indians.
Entering the game, SRH was in a must-win situation to qualify for the playoffs. Despite playing only a few games in the season, the veteran spinner stayed ready and delivered when the side desperately needed a performance of note.
After being asked to bat first on a placid Sharjah wicket, MI were ready to launch with 81/2 in 11 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan getting well-set. However, a probing over from Nadeem produced the back-to-back wickets of Suryakumar Yadav, followed by the incoming Krunal Pandya three balls later.
His double-wicket over in an economical spell of 2/19 in four overs titled the momentum in favor of SRH as they restricted MI to a below-par total of 149. The openers, David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha, then rode the tide and finished the chase in just 17.1 overs to propel SRH to the playoffs.
#3 2/16 vs. Mumbai Indians, IPL 2012
Leading up to his best bowling performance against the Deccan Chargers, Shahbaz Nadeem had another stellar outing in Delhi's previous fixture against the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Winning the toss and bowling first, Nadeem took the arduous task of bowling in the powerplay and dismissed the Mumbai openers in style inside his first seven deliveries. The 34-year-old first cleaned up the South African Davy Jacobs on his fifth ball and castled Richard Levi on the first ball of his second over.
His sensational start had MI on the mat immediately at 5/2 in 3.1 overs, a position they never recovered from, to be bowled out for a dismal 92. Nadeem finished with impeccable figures of 2/16 in his four overs and was adjudged the Player of the Match as Delhi romped home by seven wickets in the 15th over.
2012 was among Nadeem's best IPL seasons, as he finished with eight wickets at an incredible economy rate of just 7.06 runs per over. His consistent bowling led to the Daredevils finishing atop the points table with 11 wins in 16 games.
#4 2/23 vs. Gujarat Lions, IPL 2016
Shahbaz Nadeem and double strikes are commonplace during his best bowling stints in the IPL. To reaffirm that fact, the wily bowler produced another powerplay double-wicket over in the 2016 season for the Delhi Daredevils against the Gujarat Lions.
The side was looking to avenge their heartbreaking one-run loss to the same opponent two games earlier. Well, Nadeem ensured the memories of the painstaking defeat were soon forgotten as he picked up the overseas duo of Dwayne Smith and Aaron Finch in the fourth over of the innings. This was following the dismissal of Brendon McCullum to reduce the Lions to 24/3.
His spell of 2/23 in three overs helped restrict Gujarat to 149, a target Delhi chased down in the 18th over.
#5 2/39 vs. Pune Warriors, IPL 2011
Shahbaz Nadeem's first glowing IPL moment came in the second game of his maiden season in 2011. After going wicketless on his IPL debut, the spinner had a telling impact in the next outing for the Delhi Daredevils against the Pune Warriors.
In a belter of a pitch at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, Jesse Ryder went ballistic, reaching 60 off just 26 deliveries. However, Nadeem dismissed him off the final ball of the 10th over to put the breaks on the scoring.
He also picked up the crucial wicket of dangerman Robin Uthappa four overs later to finish with figures of 2/39 in his four overs and keep the final score under 190. The Daredevils chased the score down with four balls remaining to register their first victory of the season.
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