Mohammed Shami is expected to be in action very soon. The fast bowler, who’s been out since November last year, has been selected by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in the list of probables for the upcoming domestic season. Although the Duleepleep Trophy will kick the season off on September 5, Shami won’t be able to get back to fitness by then.
Shami has been shortlisted in a 31-member probable squad. Currently toiling hard at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, the pacer hasn’t gotten back to his peak fitness. This inclusion in Bengal’s probable list means two things.
Shami to miss Bangladesh & New Zealand Tests?
One, that he could feature for Bengal against Uttar Pradesh on October 11, and second, that he’ll most likely miss the India vs Bangladesh Test series, which starts on September 19 in Chennai. He was expected to get back into form for Bangladesh, but if he were ready for that, why would he be included in Bengal’s probable players list for the Ranji Trophy?
Team India are slated to face New Zealand in a 3-match Test series that commences on October 16. Logically, if Shami were to play a match for Bengal on October 11, how could he then turn to play for India the very next day? This means his fitness isn’t where the BCCI expected it to be.
Getting him ready for the Border Gavaskar Trophy will be the main goal, and if he were on track, ideally he would have played in the Duleep Trophy to begin with. Since that’s not happening, it’s only fair to test where he stands post his ankle injury instead of throwing him for a red-ball game against the Kiwis.
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