Mohammed Shami, who had been on the bench for the first four games of the 2023 World Cup, got his opportunity due to Hardik Pandya’s injury as India faced New Zealand in a crucial group stage clash in Dharamsala. Shami’s performance was nothing short of sensational as he clinched a remarkable five-wicket haul, marking India’s first in the 2023 World Cup. His figures read 5/54 in 10 overs, etching his name in history as the first Indian pacer to achieve two five-wicket hauls in the ODI World Cup.
Mohammad made an instant impact in the game, uprooting Will Young’s stumps with his first delivery. While Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra managed to revive New Zealand’s innings with a formidable partnership, Shami eventually broke this crucial alliance with a well-executed catch by Shubman Gill at long-on.
Shami went on to dismiss Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry off successive deliveries in his penultimate over of the innings. Although a second World Cup hat-trick eluded him, Shami did complete his five-wicket haul by taking the all-important wicket of centurion Mitchell in the final over of the innings.
With this achievement, Mohammad surpassed a host of Indian bowlers to become the first to clinch two five-wicket hauls in World Cups. He also surpassed the legendary spinner Anil Kumble’s record of 31 wickets in ODI World Cups. This moved Shami up to the third position on the all-time list of Indian World Cup wicket-takers, sitting behind Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan, both of whom have claimed 44 wickets each in the tournament. Mohammad’s current tally in World Cup wickets stands at 36.
With final figures of 5/54, Shami delivered his best performance in men’s ODI World Cups. His overall best bowling figures in this format remain at 5/51.
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