Mohammed Shami becomes first Indian to record historic World Cup feat with fifer vs NZ; surpasses Kumble in elite list
Mohammed Shami, sitting on the bench for the initial four games of the 2023 World Cup, received his opportunity due to Hardik Pandya’s injury as India faced New Zealand in an important group stage clash in Dharamsala.
The result was nothing short of sensational – Shami clinched a remarkable five-wicket haul, marking India’s first in the 2023 World Cup. His figures read 5/54 in 10 overs, a performance that etched his name in the history books as the first Indian pacer to achieve two five-wicket hauls in the ODI World Cup history.
India got off to a strong start in the game when Siraj removed Devon Conway early on. Shami was introduced as the first change bowler in the 9th over of the innings. Usually, players need some time to find their rhythm after sitting on the bench for a while, especially in a high-stakes event like the World Cup. However, Shami defied these odds. In his very first delivery of the match, he uprooted Will Young’s stumps, firmly asserting India’s position.
While Daryl Mitchell (131) and Rachin Ravindra (75) did manage to revive New Zealand’s innings with a formidable 159-run partnership, it was Shami who eventually broke this crucial alliance. In the 34th over, Shami bowled a length delivery to Ravindra, who attempted to clear the boundary but didn’t quite find the timing, resulting in a catch taken by Shubman Gill at long-on.
From that point onwards, it was all India against New Zealand, with Shami removing 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 his fifer, Shami surpassed a host of Indian bowlers to become the first to clinch two five-wicket hauls in World Cups. Here’s the complete list:
2 – Mohammed Shami
1 – Kapil Dev
1 – Venkatesh Prasad
1 – Robin Singh
1 – Ashish Nehra
1 – Yuvraj Singh
Shami’s first five-wicket haul in the World Cup was against England in the 2019 edition.’
Shami’s dismissal of Will Young also meant that he surpassed the legendary spinner Anil Kumble’s record of 31 wickets in ODI World Cups. This achievement 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. Shami’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.