NEW DELHI: Out-of-favour India pacer Mohammed Shami delivered another strong performance in domestic cricket, taking 4 for 13 to help Bengal beat Services by seven wickets in a Group C match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Hyderabad on Thursday. This was Bengal’s fourth win in five matches in the tournament. The team, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, moved to the top of the points table with 16 points and is in a good position to reach the knockouts.
Easwaran, who is also trying to strengthen his case ahead of the IPL auction, scored 58 off 37 balls. Bengal chased 166 in 15.1 overs. Abhishek Porel, representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL, scored 56 off 29 balls. The pair added 93 runs for the second wicket in 8.2 overs, which set up the chase. The platform was created by Shami, who was named Player of the Match for his figures of 4/13 in 3.2 overs, and India pacer Akash Deep, who took 3/27. Services were bowled out for 165 in 18.2 overs. Shami picked two wickets in his first spell, dismissing openers Gaurav Kocchar (0) and Ravi Chauhan (26 off 9). Mukesh Kumar, on his return, gave away 53 runs in three overs. Writtick Chatterjee (2/32) and Akash Deep removed key middle-order batters before Shami ended the innings by taking the final wickets.
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Shami’s strong domestic performance comes when India’s pace-bowling options for the South Africa series are being discussed. Prasidh Krishna conceded 85 runs in the second ODI, even though he took two wickets, which led to debate about Shami’s absence. Harbhajan Singh also questioned the decision.“Where is Shami? I don’t know why Shami is not playing. I get it, you have Prasidh, he is a good bowler, but he still has a lot to learn. You had good bowlers, and you have slowly sidelined them. With Bumrah, this is a different bowling attack, and without Bumrah, it is entirely different attack altogether. We have to learn the art of winning games without Jasprit Bumrah,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel. Shami has not played for India since the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where he finished as India’s joint-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets.
