The Mohali track laid out for the ODI series opener between India and Australia was a belter. Runs were expected and runs were scored but not just enough.
India opted to bowl first and Mohammed Shami took the new ball. He conceded a boundary with the second delivery. Although, a flat surface, it was a delivery expected to be creamed for four runs.
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Perhaps, stung by this, Shami later responded with a peach. Pitched on good length, he got the ball to move late and Marsh was already into the shot when an edge followed for a simple catch to the slip fielder.
Shami would repeatedly trouble Australia batters while braving the punishing Mohali weather that would force him off the field after a spell of four overs. He returned later on and completed a five-wicket haul to limit Australia to 276-all out.
One of the features of Shami’s effectiveness over the years is his upright wrist position, a quality that even his opponents have openly expressed their admiration for.
Commentators continue to rave about Shami’s wrist position and his childhood coach reveals the hard work the right-arm pacer has put in to achieve that.
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“Every day he will take one old ball home. His father once showed me the stain of red balls on the wall in front of his bed. He used to throw the ball and then will catch it just to perfect his wrist position,” Mohammed Badruddin told The Indian Express.
“How many balls have lost its shape. Everyone talks about his wrist position, but very few people know about the work he has put in to perfect it. I have seen so many bowlers with good wrist positions, but it won’t be the same after a while. The reason is they don’t work hard to perfect it,” he added.
Shami accounted for Marsh, David Warner, Steve Smith, Matthew Short and Sean Abbott to finish with 5/51 from 10 overs.
This after he played just one match during India’s successful campaign at the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka earlier this month.
Shami picked the dismissal of Marsh as his favourite among his match haul of five wickets. “I enjoyed the wicket of Marsh, that’s a different feeling when you get the outside edge, when you control your swing nicely,” he said.
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