Mohammed Shami in action during Cricket World Cup 2023© AFP
Legendary Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Wasim Akram was all praise for Mohammed Shami once again and he tried to decode the main reasons behind his success in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023. Shami has been a revelation since making his way to the Indian cricket team playing XI with 16 matches which included two five-wicket hauls. In an interaction with A Sports, Akram explained that Shami hits the seam with most of his deliveries and that allows to optimise the conditions of the pitch.
“For starters, as a bowler, the confidence at this level has got to be like ‘I am one of the best’, and these guys (Indian pacers) have that confidence. Once you have that, then all the hard work you have done over the years (pays off). Shami’s every delivery hits the seam, it’s not wobbly, just goes straight and kisses the pitch. He doesn’t bang the ball in,” Akram explained.
Akram specifically cited the example of the dismissal of Ben Stokes during the Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and England. Shami set Stokes up with constant out-swingers before swinging the final ball of the over inwards to castle him. Akram pointed out that he did not vary his length in all the deliveries and his ability of move the ball in both directions made it extremely difficult for the batter.
“(Ben) Stokes had no clue what to do. Look at his length, came around the wicket to seam (the ball) out, and then the last ball he brought in. But his length and seam position never changed, off-stump or top of off-stump. Wahi se andar, wahi se bahar (moving the ball in and out from the same spot). That’s why he is so difficult,” the ex-Pakistan pacer added.
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