"Mohammed Shami Must 'Do Well' in Vijay Hazare to Keep ICC Champions Trophy & ODIs Hopes Alive": BCCI Official

There was a lot of excitement about Mohammed Shami's role in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he wasn’t part of the squad for the series in Australia. So, what’s next for the pacer who was a standout performer in the ODI World Cup 2023? The team management may as well continue to accommodate him in the squad depending on his performance during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. If Shami performs well in the 50 over domestic competition then he may get the chance to make his comeback for the India vs England ODI series which is scheduled to be played soon. The selection for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is also not far away.

 As per the Telegraph India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keeping a close eye on the fitness of Mohammed Shami. What is more, Shami was not a part of any of the international matches in the year 2024 because of surgery and injuries. He got a chance to play cricket at a competitive level after a long time in Ranji Trophy then he a played Vijay entire Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). On Friday (3rd of January) Shami played in Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) match for Bengal where Bengal defeated Bihar by six wickets at Hyderabad.

“Shami bowled last on Saturday before leaving for Hyderabad. If he does well in these Vijay Hazare games, he surely has a good chance of being considered for the England ODIs at least, if not for the T20I series,” a BCCI official told The Telegraph India.

A Strong Comeback: Shami's Impact in Ranji Trophy and SMAT Performance

Shami bowled eight overs in the match and got the wicket of young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi the new signing of Rajasthan Royals (RR). He got him out for 26 runs in 16 balls. His good show in the tournament is very important as the BCCI is monitoring his performance match by match.

Though Shami was included in the Bengal's squad for the domestic competition in the 50 over format, he was not able to play the first four matches. He has now come back into the squad and has played in all the three formats since his return. As you can recall, Shami’s last competitive match was on 19th October 2023 in the ODI World Cup 2023 Final against Australia in Ahmedabad and then he returned to the field after 360 days. He featured in a single Ranji Trophy game and then produced decent performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) which included 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7. He played a single Ranji Trophy match before having a solid showing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), taking 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.86 across nine innings.

In that tournament Shami played 9 T20 matches within 18 days only. India’s home matches held with the first T20I at Eden Gardens on January 22, followed by the ODIs starting on February 6. The last date to nominate squads for the ICC Champions Trophy is February 12.

ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule