T20 World Cup 2021 Player profile: Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has been a regular for India in Tests and ODIs for a long time, but the pacer has failed to nail down a spot in the T20 International (T20I) team. Having made his debut in 2014 in the shortest format for India, he has only played 12 T20Is till now.

The right-arm pacer has been expensive in T20Is, and has an economy rate of 9.80. He was not a regular in the Indian Premier League (IPL) till 2018. However, his T20 career saw a turnaround in 2019 and he is now expected to play a key part in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Till 2018, in every season that Shami bowled, his average was never lower than 48. In the three seasons since, his highest average has been 24.68 in 2019. It has only gotten better since.

He picked 19, 20 and 19 wickets, respectively in 2021, 2020 and 2019 from 14 games played each year.

This upturn in form has seen him seal his spot in the Indian team, and the management will be hoping his wicket-taking prowess can help get early breakthroughs and break key partnerships.

With his pace and ability to move the new ball, Shami will be an asset, especially in the powerplay.

His death-bowling can be an issue, as can his economy rate, but he has improved on both fronts of late.

And if teamed up with the usually miserly Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India won’t mind even if Shami does go for a few extra runs if he can keep delivering the wickets as he has been for the Punjab Kings.

Mohammed Shami’s form coming into the T20 World Cup

T20 World Cup: Mohammed Shami picked three wickets against England in a warm-up match.

In the one warm-up he played ahead of the World Cup, Shami picked up three wickets against England as India won by seven wickets. He was then rested against Australia.

In the six league stage matches Shami played in the second half of the IPL, Shami picked up 11 scalps, giving away 161 runs.

His best performance came against the Rajasthan Royals when he returned figures of 3/21. His most economical spell came against SunRisers Hyderabad, when he picked two wickets and gave away just 14 runs.

Interestingly, he did not go wicket-less in any of the matches.

What Mohammed Shami brings to the table

Mohammed Shami was in good wicket-taking form in IPL 2021.

Mohammed Shami’s biggest asset is his raw pace, which he mixes with deadly accuracy. Shami is especially devastating with the new ball and can get the ball to talk if there is any movement on offer.

At the death, Shami has gotten more consistent and has improved on his yorkers.

If along with Shami and Bumrah, India pick Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the third pacer, Shami may not be needed at the death, but he can also work effectively as a middle-overs enforcer to support the spinners.

In that case, Kohli and Co. will bank on him to break crucial partnerships and ensure the opposition don’t get a grip on the game with the bat in hand.

Mohammed Shami’s World Cup record

Mohammed Shami took 14 wickets in four matches in the 2019 World Cup, including a hat-trick.

This will be Mohammed Shami’s first T20 World Cup, but the pacer has a good record in the 50-over World Cups.

In the 2015 World Cup, Shami scalped 17 wickets in seven matches, while in 2019 he looked even more deadly, picking 14 wickets in the four matches that he played.

India will be hoping that Shami brings out similar performances in the shortest format as well.

With Shardul Thakur breathing down his neck for a spot in the team, Shami too knows that he needs to produce his best performances in the tournament.