New Delhi: India bowling coach Morne Morkel has paid an emotional tribute to fast bowler Mohammed Shami following his retirement from Test cricket. Shami announced his decision late on the night of November 6 through a social media post.
Speaking ahead of India's second ODI against New Zealand, Morkel said, "I was quite fortunate when I first started with the group for Shami to be a part of the team. He is a highly skilful player, a quality guy to have around in the group. And I was quite lucky when I joined, for him to bring sort of the Indian language into the dressing room. He helped me quite a lot. So a sad day to see him go. But he's still bowling a lot of overs back home, and it's still great to see."
đź“Š Shami's Illustrious Test Career
| Aspect | Figure |
|---|---|
| Matches | 64 |
| Wickets | 229 |
| Five-wicket hauls | 6 |
| Wickets in away Tests | 145 (41 matches, average 30.33) |
Shami made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2013. His ability to extract movement and generate swing with both the new and ageing ball made him an important component of India's bowling attack, particularly during overseas assignments.
🏆 Final Test and Road Ahead
Shami's final appearance in the longest format came during the ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final against Australia. Despite injuries affecting different stages of his career, he continued to make valuable contributions whenever available.
Notably, Shami has confirmed that he remains available for India in white-ball cricket. The veteran has also been named in Bengal's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. The goal will be for him to prove his mettle in the tournament and also in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be back in India's scheme of things.
