13 wickets in three games! And Mohammad Shami has already become the fastest Indian to bag 40 wickets in Cricket World Cup. And with his second fifer in three games, he has moved past Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan for most wickets in World Cup. Zaheer and Srinath have 44 scalps each. But as Shami bagged a fifer against Sri Lanka in IND vs SL (India vs Sri Lanka) match on Thursday, he now has 45 wickets in just 14 games.
Most Wickets in World Cup
- Mohammed Shami – 45* (14 innings)
- Zaheer Khan – 44 (23 innings)
- Javagal Srinath – 44 (33 innings)
- 33 – Jasprit Bumrah (16 innings)
- 31 – Anil Kumble (18 innings)
How good was Mohammad Shami?
To start with this Cricket World Cup 2023, Mohammad Shami was only a backup pacer. Hardik Pandya did the job for India Cricket Team. But an injury to Hardik opened up a space for Shami back in the Playing XI. It was after Shami bagged a fifer in his last outing for India.
Shami did not take long to get going. Against New Zealand, he bowled a superb spell, bagging five wickets for 54 runs. He continued the run of form against England and blew the World Champions away with 4/22.
In the IND vs SL game, he was simply unplayable. He got a wicket in his third delivery and Charith Asalanka was the first to go. But Mohammad Shami did not stop there. In his five-over spell, Shami bowled 22 dot balls in his 30-ball spell, demolishing Lankan batting line-up with five wickets for just 18 runs.
“Our bowling is in good shape and with the kind of rhythm that we are in, everyone is enjoying and everyone is happy for each other’s success. More importantly, we are bowling as a unit and that’s the result you are getting to see. In big tournaments, once the rhythm goes away, it’s very tough to get it back. I always focus on hitting the good areas and length,” Mohammad Shami said after the match.
