Hyderabad: Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is set to return to the competitive field after being away from cricket for around one year. Shami will represent Bengal in their Ranji Trophy fixture against Madhya Pradesh starting from Wednesday.
The National Cricket Academy (NCA) has cleared him to play. The right-arm pacer's return was on the cards for quite a while but a delayed fitness certificate from NCA prevented his earlier participation.
"In a major boost to Indian cricket and the Bengal Ranji Trophy team, star pacer Mohammad Shami will make a comeback into competitive cricket for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Indore starting on Wednesday," said Naresh Ojha, honorary secretary of Cricket Association of Bengal in a statement.
"Shami, who has been out of competitive action since India's ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad last November, will spearhead the Bengal pace bowling attack against Madhya Pradesh. Shami's inclusion in the Bengal team will not just be a big boost but also lift the morale of the entire team, which aims to make it to the next round of the Ranji Trophy. Bengal, who are currently in the fifth spot in the points table with 8 points from 4 games, bagged three crucial points from their last match against Karnataka," he added.
Bengal's pace attack will be boosted by Shami's inclusion as their bowlers like Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar are currently in Australia with the Indian team. Shami's fitness will be very crucial for India and he will be monitored during his Ranji fixture.
Bengla has eight points from four matches so far in the Ranji Trophy while Madhya Pradesh has bagged 10 points from the same number of matches.
