Mohammed Shami has started rigorous training before taking the field in the T20I series against England. Having not played for the national team since the ODI World Cup final against Australia back in November 2023, the speedster will be raring to make a mark, especially with the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE knocking on the door.
In the training session before the first T20I on January 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Shami went full throttle while bowling. His left knee was heavily strapped, but the speedster showed promising signs before making a comeback.
Starting with short strides, he bowled for nearly an hour before cautiously engaging in a fielding drill to assess his knee. Thereafter, the 34-year-old Shami bowled some fiery spells to Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma and other youngsters in the nets.
Shami bowled with a lot of heart as he extracted significant pace and bounce, troubling the batters on multiple occasions. Dhruv Jurel, however, looked at ease while facing Shami, playing some attacking shots and making Shami work hard.
Shami bowled at full intensity for nearly 45 minutes without needing support from the team’s physiotherapist or strength and conditioning coach. After his net session, he shifted to the adjacent length-bowling practice area for a discussion with bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Together, they focused on precision, with Shami repeatedly hitting the designated lengths and striking the two stumps set up for the drill. Later, he joined Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana for additional practice, engaging in strategic exchanges throughout the session.
Mohammed Shami set for comeback
After the ODI World Cup final, Shami was sidelined from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and the Men’s T20 World Cup. His rehabilitation was hindered by knee swelling, forcing him to miss the home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
A side strain in November ruled him out of the early stages of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and a subsequent knee injury dashed his hopes of touring Australia.
Shami eventually returned to competitive cricket, featuring for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. He later participated in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, delivering strong performances with the ball while also contributing useful cameos with the bat.

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