Sunrisers Hyderabad had moved Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants for a fee of Rs 10 crore ahead of the current season. On Sunday, the fast bowler delivered a reminder of why teams chase his accuracy and threat, dismantling Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma inside the Powerplay with a blend of craft, misdirection and ruthless execution.
Shami opened from around the wicket to Head, using a line that suggested the batter would be forced into the usual options. Head, looking to capitalise on the anticipated movement away from the right-hander, set himself with that expectation in mind. However, the first three deliveries turned back into him—tight, intrusive and leaving Head short of space. By the fourth ball, when Shami finally offered one on a textbook length, Head chose the safer route, easing it away to get off strike.
Against Sharma, the deception became clearer. Shami sent a fielder back at deep third man, signalling that he might test the area outside off stump. Sharma, reading width as a cue to attack, was met instead by a searing yorker aimed at his leg stump. The wicket didn’t just come from pace or precision; it was part of a wider pattern. In the final delivery of the opening over, Shami also shifted another fielder toward the off side, reinforcing the illusion of width. He did bowl wide, but it was a cutter—forcing Sharma into a decision before he had settled. With the short start already behind him, Sharma was caught at short third for a duck, the hook firmly baited and sprung.
Shami’s spell didn’t fade after the first breakthrough. He returned in the next over with another sharp cutter. Head, still adjusting to the rhythm, went forward in an awkward fashion and lost his footing through the hands. The result was a looping ball toward mid-off, where Aiden Markram charged in and completed a diving catch.
In total, Shami finished with two wickets while allowing just 18 dot balls, producing figures of 2/9 and earning the Player of the Match award.
Former Delhi pacer Sanjeev Sharma praised the impact, saying that if Shami continued at this level, it would be hard for selectors to overlook him. He also advised that any return to international duty should be handled with caution, adding that managing his workload is crucial—like addressing a dent in a car, where care prevents worsening damage. At the age of 35, Shami understands the balance between delivering high-quality bowling and protecting his body.
After a challenging IPL 2025 for SRH, where he collected six wickets across nine matches, Shami has worked his way back the hard way. “I am not a machine. If you’re fit only then can you work on your skills. That’s why I kept in touch with the game and played all the domestic games,” he said to reporters.
His recent form has been built steadily. Shami tore through the previous Ranji Trophy season, taking 67 wickets for Bengal and sharpening the skills that made him so dangerous in the first place.
Since his last appearance for India at the ICC Champions Trophy last year, he has spent time on the edge of selection, with injuries playing a major role in keeping him from a consistent run. That contrast—an often fragile body paired with unbreakable skill—has defined the Shami story.
Yet on days like Sunday, he bends both the ball and the match to his will, turning precision into pressure and pressure into wickets—exactly the kind of performance that changes conversations around him.
