India’s Mohammed Shami became the fastest bowler to 50 ODI World Cup wickets, during his side’s semifinal encounter against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
India’s Mohammed Shami celebrates after taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Devon Conway. | Photo Credit: Reuters
India’s Mohammed Shami became the fastest bowler to 50 ODI World Cup wickets, during his side’s semifinal encounter against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Shami removed Kane Williamson in the 33rd over after the New Zealand’s skipper failed to clear the deep square leg fence with a flick.
Shami got to the landmark in his 17th ODI World Cup innings, going two faster than Australia’s Mitchell Starc, who achieved the feat earlier in the tournament.
The 33-year-old Shami is the seventh bowler to get to 50 ODI World Cup wickets and the first Indian.
The right-arm pacer was initially not part of the Indian lineup. But ever since his return to the fold against New Zealand in the group stage, he has been unstoppable, picking up wickets for fun.
He secured fifers against the Kiwis and Sri Lanka, as he became India’s top-wicket taker in ODI World Cups.
Fastest to 50 wickets in ODI World Cup (Inns)
Player
Editions played
Innings
Mohammed Shami (IND)
2015-2023* (3)
17
Mitchell Starc (AUS)
2015-2023* (3)
19
Lasith Malinga (SL)
2007-2019 (4)
25
Glenn McGrath (AUS)
1996-2007 (4)
30
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)
1996-2011 (5)
30
Wasim Akram (PAK)
1987-2003 (5)
33
source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / Sportstar / Home> Cricket / by Team SportStar / November 15th, 2023
Sahaspur Village , Amroha, UTTAR PRADESH / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL:
Mohammed Shami jerseys are out of stock at the sports goods market near Eden Gardens. (PTI | Express Photo by Sandip G)
Adjoining the sprawling maidan and the Eden Gardens is what the locals call – the largest sports goods market in Asia. Whether it’s a brag or the truth, the half a kilometer-stretch is the first stop of every aspiring sportsman of the city.
Badminton racquets dangle from creaking ceilings, cricket bats of all sizes, shapes, wood and football boots are a nudge away from falling off the glassed showcases. There are also imitation-gold plated trophies shinning garishly under the glare of tube-lights.
“The journey of every sportsman starts here, and not the maidan,” says Rahman Ali, who owns Palace Sports. “Established 1965,” he asserts. Ali’s grandfather, like most shop-owners had migrated from East Pakistan after the partition.
“Back in the 70s, Abbas Ali Baig tore his shoes one day and bought a pair from us. My grandfather didn’t take any money from him. Dhoni brought a pair of gloves from here too once. And of course, we have spotted Shami bhai a lot of times here (before he got into the Indian team). Now, of course, he can’t. He would be using foreign goods,” he says.
Shami’s jerseys, though, are out of stock. Ali reasons: “Usually, we stock more jerseys of Rohit and Virat. But we didn’t know our bowlers would become such a hit. But no worries, the load will arrive tomorrow, in time for the match,” he says.
Every replica jersey costs around Rs 450, which in normal time is sold for Rs 250-300. “The pandemic struck us badly, we were running on heavy losses. So we have to cash in during the World Cup,” says Armaan, who quips: “We look forward to the sports season more than the sportsmen.”
The three-week window is their equivalent of the harvest season. These days, they sell around 200-300 jerseys a day, and on match-days even more. Match-days are the busiest days, and therein lies their biggest pang. “The stadium is so near, yet we can’t leave the shop and watch the match,” he says.
Search for selfie
The jersey-hunters are swelling by the minute and the narrow passageways have become narrower. Some stop by and chat about Shami’s demolition of Sri Lanka, or whether Virat Kohli would equal Sachin Tendulkar at the Eden. The proximity of the bus station that is ferrying thousands of cricket pilgrims from different corners of the state and the line of hotels in the neighboring New Market Area has made an already crowded part of the city seaming at its bursts.
Some of them wander into the Eden Gardens, across the Maidan with its kite-fliers. These marching cadet scouts go past the hundreds of sports clubs and the Lesilie Claudius Sarai named after the city’s most famous hockey star, in search for a selfie or to merely soak in the atmosphere.
Eden Gardens illuminated with lights ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and South Africa, in Kolkata. (PTI)
Eden Gardens illuminated with lights ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and South Africa, in Kolkata. (PTI)
“You should come after six,” a policeman tells a pair of inquisitive tourists.” That is when the facade of the storied stadium glows. A fleet of police cars screeched past the stadium, tired policemen could be spotted leaning against the walls or resting on the cane fence near the stadium.
There is a buzz crackling in the humid air of the city. When the list of games were announced, the city was dejected that it would not host any of India’s marquee games. It’s hosting a semifinal—but it was accustomed to hosting bigger games, the finals (1987 World Cup and 2016 T20 WC). And wallowing about its glorious past is ingrained in the city’s psyche.
SA’s piece of history
Political subplots were read into it. But the sleight of destiny ensured that the city got the most competitive game of the tournament, India versus South Africa. Few considered South Africa contenders, but they are now the second favourites. Two days cannot fly faster is the common refrain. Some fans loitered around the stadium, assuming that the team would practise in the stadium on Friday. A policeman, tired of shooing a pack of youngsters away, now starts shouting expletives and waving the cane lathi. They flee. The new batch arrives, and the policeman is his wits’ end.
Anyone passing along the premises of the stadium is asked the standard question: “Ticket hain?” It could be anyone from a casual inquirer to a desperate fan pleading, or a tout seeking a potential buyer to slap an over-priced ticket. Among them was Ebrahim, from Durban. He landed on Thursday, but has no ticket. Draped in a South Africa flag, he says: “Maybe, I can buy one in the black market, or one of the South African supporters here can manage one. I was so thrilled to watch this World Cup that I didn’t bother about the ticket. I called a friend of mine from Cape Town last week and decided to travel just like that,” he says.
He says it was destiny that has brought him to Kolkata. “We played our first game after reintroduction here, we won our first Test match in India here. Hopefully, we will watch something special here too,” he says.
There is another connect—the administrator credited with bringing South Africa back into the cricket fold, Jagmohan Dalmiya, too was from the city. The series was organised in a week’s time, thanks to a meeting between then West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu and South Africa cricket board administrator Ali Bacher.
A batch of nervous cricketers in a chartered flight landed to a raucous welcome. In the post-match interview, captain Clive Rice would emotionally say: “I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he stood on the moon.” There is a picture of him and his teammates bowing down with folded hands and thanking the crowd after the game. “The most historic match in the history of South African cricket,” he would say.
A sense of history is lurking around the Eden Gardens this week too, as two of the strongest teams in the World Cup encounter on Sunday. And there is a whole ecosystem around it, literally and symbolically, waiting for the match and their catch.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News> Sports> Cricket World Cup 2023 / by Sandip G, Kolkata / November 04th, 2023
This is India’s first win at Centurion and the India skipper, recalling his team’s fantastic victory at Wanderers in the final Test in 2018, said that result instilled plenty of self-belief.
Mohammed Shami (Photo | AP)
Centurion :
Victorious Indian captain Virat Kohli on Thursday attributed the Test team’s fine results overseas in recent years to his pace attack and rated Mohammed Shami among the best three seamers in the world currently.
The formidable India pace unit destroyed a listless South Africa to fashion an emphatic 113-run win in the first Test here, setting the team on course for a maiden series victory in the country.
Kohli lavished rich praise on his colleagues after the team’s big win.
“Just the way these guys bowl together, it’s just a hallmark of our team getting a result from that position, not just in this game but also in the last two-three years,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
India were handed the advantage on the first day itself when centurion KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal set it up with a big opening partnership, and Kohli said that partnership made a huge difference to the outcome of the match.
“The discipline that the batters showed. Winning the toss, batting first overseas is a tough challenge. Credit to Mayank and KL the way they set it up. We knew we were in pole position with anything over 300-320. We have a lot of belief in our bowling unit and knew the bowlers will get the job done,” Kohli pointed out.
This is India’s first win at Centurion and the India skipper, recalling his team’s fantastic victory at Wanderers in the final Test of the 2018 Test series, said that result from the past instilled plenty of self-belief.
“It’s a top start for us. We have to understand one day was washed out — shows how well we played. It’s always a difficult place to play against South Africa. We got so much confidence out of Johannesburg last time. It’s a ground we love playing at.”
The next match is scheduled to be played at Johannesburg from January 3-7.
Speaking about Shami, he said, “He is absolutely world class talent. For me he’s in the best three seamers in the world at the moment. His strong wrist, his seam position and his ability to hit a length consistently. Very, very happy for him to get 200 wickets and have an impactful performances.”
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah could not bowl a lot in the first innings and Kohli felt his team could have got a bigger lead in the first innings if that wasn’t the case.
“Spoke about it in the change room — the fact he didn’t bowl much in the first innings, it allowed South Africa to get around 40 more runs.”
South African skipper Dean Elgar, who top-scored for his side with a fighting 77, said there were few positives for his team but expressed his disappointment with the batters.
This is only the third instance when South Africa had been dismissed under 200 in each innings of a Test match at home since their re-admission in 1991.
“Obviously not a nice thing knowing we lost a Test here. Did a few things wrong. Lot of positives coming out that we can use in the next two. Always the nature here. Always going to be tough because the wicket’s playing slower (first morning),” Elgar said.
Kohli lavished rich praise on his colleagues after the team’s big win.
“Just the way these guys bowl together, it’s just a hallmark of our team getting a result from that position, not just in this game but also in the last two-three years,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
India were handed the advantage on the first day itself when centurion KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal set it up with a big opening partnership, and Kohli said that partnership made a huge difference to the outcome of the match.
“The discipline that the batters showed. Winning the toss, batting first overseas is a tough challenge. Credit to Mayank and KL the way they set it up. We knew we were in pole position with anything over 300-320. We have a lot of belief in our bowling unit and knew the bowlers will get the job done,” Kohli pointed out.
This is India’s first win at Centurion and the India skipper, recalling his team’s fantastic victory at Wanderers in the final Test of the 2018 Test series, said that result from the past instilled plenty of self-belief.
“It’s a top start for us. We have to understand one day was washed out — shows how well we played. It’s always a difficult place to play against South Africa. We got so much confidence out of Johannesburg last time. It’s a ground we love playing at.”
The next match is scheduled to be played at Johannesburg from January 3-7.
Speaking about Shami, he said, “He is absolutely world class talent. For me he’s in the best three seamers in the world at the moment. His strong wrist, his seam position and his ability to hit a length consistently. Very, very happy for him to get 200 wickets and have an impactful performances.”
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah could not bowl a lot in the first innings and Kohli felt his team could have got a bigger lead in the first innings if that wasn’t the case.
“Spoke about it in the change room — the fact he didn’t bowl much in the first innings, it allowed South Africa to get around 40 more runs.”
South African skipper Dean Elgar, who top-scored for his side with a fighting 77, said there were few positives for his team but expressed his disappointment with the batters.
This is only the third instance when South Africa had been dismissed under 200 in each innings of a Test match at home since their re-admission in 1991.
“Obviously not a nice thing knowing we lost a Test here. Did a few things wrong. Lot of positives coming out that we can use in the next two. Always the nature here. Always going to be tough because the wicket’s playing slower (first morning),” Elgar said.
He added, “Indian openers did the fundamentals right. We didn’t quite execute the lengths well. After some good chats our bowlers executed the lengths and restricted India to what we thought was a par score. New ball is something you have to get through playing here. Can’t emphasise enough on the hard work our bowlers put in to get 20 wickets. Our batters let us down. I’d say the batting was the difference between the two sides. We’ll have a little sit-down with myself and the management to strategise. Didn’t do a lot of wrong things. Not all doom and gloom for us. We thrive under the pressure which is a positive for us.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Cricket / by PTI / December 30th, 2021
Mohammed Shami, who Siraj replaced in this Test, was the last India bowler to take at least five wickets in a debut Test
Melbourne:
Mohammed Siraj became the first debutant for India in seven years to pick five wickets in a Test match when he finished the second Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a haul of five wickets for 77 runs in 36.3 overs.
Siraj got the wicket of Cameron Green in both the innings while he had Marnus Labuschagne (in first innings) and Travis Head and Nathan Lyon (in second innings).
Mohammed Shami, who Siraj replaced in this Test, was the last India bowler to take at least five wickets in a debut Test when he got a nine-wicket haul against West Indies in Kolkata in November, 2013.
Off-spinner R Ashwin, who is also playing the ongoing second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, also took over five wickets in a Test on debut back in November, 2011 against West Indies in Delhi. He got a nine-wicket haul.
On Monday, after the third day’s play, Siraj had said that he focused on bowling dot balls and maiden overs and not try anything different.
He also gave credit to senior bowler Jasprit Bumrah for encouraging him throughout his debut Test.
“With a senior around, the junior always finds help. After every ball, he (Bumrah) was coming to me and giving me confidence, telling me to focus on every ball and be easy. He asked me to not give anything away and kept telling me, ‘you are doing good, have patience and keep bowling well’. That is what he told me,” said Siraj after Monday’s play.
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Sports / by IANS / December 29th, 2020
Nadeem, who plays for local team Jharkhand, has been a India A regular recently.
File image of Shahbaz Nadeem
Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has been added to India’s Test squad for the third and final match of the series against South Africa, starting in Ranchi on Saturday.
The decision to add Nadeem was made after Kuldeep Yadav complained of shoulder pain on his left hand on Friday, the Board of Control of Cricket in India confirmed on Friday.
Yadav has not played in the series yet, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being preferred in Vizag and Pune. But with a turning track expected in Ranchi, there were talks of India using a third spinner.
The left-arm wrist-spinner is still part of the squad as confirmed by chief selector MSK Prasad in the statement released by BCCI but it remains to be seen if either Nadeem or Yadav get selected in the XI.
Nadeem, who plays for local team Jharkhand, has been a India A regular recently and has been in action for the state side in Karnataka for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jharkhand have not qualified for the quarter-finals in the 50-over tournament. India lead the three-match series 2-0 after convincing wins in Vizag and Pune.
Here is the complete list of nominees of Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards across all sports.
Asian Games 2018 gold medal-winning Indian boxer Amit Panghal has been nominated for Arjuna awards by the Boxing Federation of India.
Panghal claimed the light flyweight (49kg) category gold after defeating reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan in the Asiad final at Jakarta.
In a similar move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India recommended India pacers Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and women’s team spinner Poonam Yadav for the Arjuna award.
National football team stars Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Jeje Lalpekhlua, too, have been recommended for the Arjuna award by the football’s national governing body.
The National shooting federation has suggested the names of pistol ace Heena Sidhu and trap shooter Ankur Mittal for the Khel Ratna. Anjum Moudgil(rifle), Shahzar Rizvi (pistol) and Om Prakash Mitharwal (pistol) have also been nominated for the Arjuna Awards.
Meanwhile, the Wrestling Federation of India has recommended Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat for the Khel Ratna award. Besides the duo, the WFI has also suggested names of Rahul Aware, Harpreet Singh, Divya Kakran and Pooja Dhanda for the Arjuna Award.
The Table Tennis Federation of India has recommended Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty and Madhurika Patkar for the Arjuna Awards.
source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / SportStar / Home> More Sports / by Team Sportstar / April 30th, 2019
India captain Virat Kohli celebrates with Mohammed Shami the wicket of England batsman Adil Rashid, on the fourth day of the third Test match between India and England in Mohali on Tuesday. PTI Photo by Vijay Verma(PTI11_29_2016_000081B) (PTI)
The one great feature for India under Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy has been collective victories, even when individuals stand up and deliver that bit extra. This has allowed the team to make constant changes in the playing eleven forced by injuries.
With India playing all but six of the 20 Tests under his captaincy in the sub-continent — 10 at home — the spin attack, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, has dominated.
However, India’s pace bowlers have provided real value with their wicket-taking ability. No longer content with playing the support role to spin on slow pitches, pace bowlers, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma in particular, have showed they have come of age as a strike unit.
It is not that India pacers have not done well at home. Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan have produced crucial spells.
But the England series has shown the pace department has taken it to a different level.
In Mohali, India could easily have been left chasing a tricky target but for Mohammed Shami’s double strike in one over with the second new ball. Two perfect short deliveries induced awkward shots from Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid.
Shami bowled perhaps the ball of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, pitched up and swinging in to shatter skipper Alastair Cook’s off-stump.
Of the 20 games under Kohli, only two Tests in Australia in the 2014-15 series were played on pitches conducive to seam. The rest have been on slow tracks.
Shami and Umesh have consistently cranked up their pace to 140 kph plus on slow pitches. And Kohli has used them as attacking options, to provide breakthroughs and not just relief to Ashwin and Co.
Shami has been at his metronomic best since returning to the side in the West Indies, after more than a year out following knee surgery. In the Caribbean, his 11 wickets were only next to Ashwin’s series-leading 17.
Sharing the workload
In this series too, Shami’s 10 wickets again are only next to Ashwin’s 15 and level with Ravindra Jadeja. More importantly, he has bowled 103 overs and Umesh Yadav 94.5 overs, sharing the workload with the spinners (Ashwin 173.4 overs, Jadeja 161 and Jayant 50.3).
Umesh has only five wickets against England, but four catches were dropped off his bowling on a flat Rajkot pitch. Still, he accounted for Joe Root and Ben Stokes, England’s best batsmen so far in this series.
In Visakhapatnam, his dismissal of Jonny Bairstow broke a crucial partnership as England lost their last four wickets for 65 runs. That gave India a 200-run lead and a firm grip on the match.
The spinners may be carrying the day with ball and bat, but Indian pace bowlers have become an integral unit.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Sports> Cricket / by N Ananthanarayanan, Hindustan Times / November 29th, 2016
India’s Mohammed Shami celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Mark Craig. (REUTERS)
When New Zealand drafted Neil Wagner in the XI here, it was hoped he would trouble the India batsmen with reverse swing, as he is known to do on dry pitches.
Wagner did get reverse swing in the second innings but couldn’t make a mark and remained wicket-less. He got two wickets in the first innings, but not off reverse swing. The India batsmen, especially Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja negotiated Wagner’s reverse swing well and made things tough for the Black Caps.
When it came to the India bowlers, Mohd Shami worked magic with reverse swing, especially when it mattered.
After 20 overs on Monday, India tasted success when Jadeja claimed Luke Ronchi, who tried to hit against the turn from outside off stump and gave R Ashwin an easy catch at point.
India had to wait thereafter. It was Shami who broke through as he cleaned up Mark Craig with reverse swing — the ball sneaking through bat and pad to send the off-stump flying. Bowling from wide of the crease, he kept the batsman in doubt.
Shami’s magic didn’t stop, and his second wicket opened the floodgates for Ashwin, who then ripped through the Kiwi innings with a six-wicket haul. Shami got one to swing back to catch BJ Watling, known for his defence, plumb in front.
“His (Shami’s) magic with reverse swing is natural as he was never allowed to bowl with the new ball during his early days in his village,” coach Barauddin told HT from Amroha, from where the bowler hails.
“He (Shami) used to bowl with the old ball in tournaments and even after a match used to rub it for further practice against young kids. He always wanted to be called a fast bowler. That’s why he used to get the old ball. It was disappointing initially, but he made the most of it,” he added.
Rare happening
The pavilion end of Green Park produced a record for India as the bowlers claimed all the wickets of the New Zealand second innings from this end.
The only run out of the match was when TV umpire AK Chaudhary declared Ross Taylor out off a direct throw from Umesh Yadav, with the batsman running to the pavilion end.
“There were some solid footmarks for the bowlers near the stumps at the media end and that’s the reason why Ashwin and Jadeja could spin the ball while bowling from the pavilion end,” said curator Shiv Kumar.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Sports / Sharad Deep, Hindustan Times, Kanpur / September 26th, 2016
Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami delivers a ball the three-day tour match between India and WICB President’s XI squad at the Warner Park stadium in Basseterre, Saint Kitts, on July 14, 2016. / AFP / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Injuries and bad luck is something which had not let MD Shami enjoy the game for quite some time but finally, it looks like that his time has come. After being available for the Delhi Daredevils throughout the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 , Mohammad is a part of the Indian Team in the ongoing Test series against the West Indies and is firing with his ball.
Shami literally rattled the Windies top order in the 1st innings of the first Test, which is being played in Antigua. His 50th Test victim was the experienced Marlon Samuels and he achieved this feat in merely 13 games, which makes him the joint fastest Indian pacer alongside Venkatesh Prasad to 50 Test match wickets.
India cricketer Mohammed Shami (C) is congratulated by teammates during day two of the cricket test match between West Indies and India July 22, 2016 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St John’s, Antigua. The decision was made that Brathwaite was not out. / AFP / DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
The right arm fast bowler was phenomenal in the first two sessions on Day 3 and his opening wicket was batsman Rajendra Chandrika. Shami kept attacking by bowling a tight off-stump line with the support of an attacking inner ring field set-up. It was obvious this strategy would reap rewards as he got one to move away from Darren Bravo and Bravo had no clue.
He bowled a magical over, where he took 2 wickets, that of Samuels and Blackwood and didn’t give away a single run. His other partners were hardly posing any trouble but Shami played it smart by making the batsman play almost every delivery of his.
We all know that Shami is immensely backed by both Test and ODI captains and the selectors as well but had a real tough time after he injured his knee during the marque 2015 World Cup in Australia. The doctors had said that it might be a career-threatening one but the 26-year-old did not give up and tried coming back in the Australia tour earlier this year but was again haunted by the knee injury. He finally came back in the IPL and now is in full flow against the West Indies as we see our beloved fast bowler in the Indian jersey.
We hope that he stays fit, in the long run, as Team India have a hectic Test season coming up as the team is scheduled to play 16 more Test matches, after this one.
source: http://www.circleofcricket.co / Circle of Cricket / Home> Latest News / by baggabhrigu / July 24th, 2016
Sometimes, a simplistic gauging of skills through numbers is insufficient. Take for instance, Mohammed Shami’s in the first innings– 28-6-95-1. Someone who hasn’t seen him bowl would grossly understate him and his craft. That he was profusely unlucky on the first morning dissipates into thin vacuum in the final stock-checking of history through numbers. The number of times he beat the bat and the catches dropped won’t be factored in.
Young bowlers react differently to it. Most would be wide-eyed and desperate. Some turn petulant and fidgety. Some are beset with doubts. A few, though, would simply remain unflustered. Shami conforms to the latter group. For all the lack of luck in the first innings, Shami remained impervious to it. If any, he just improvised on his bowling.
He pitched the ball a couple of centimeters further to the batsmen, almost a drivable length but not quite drivable. And he was faster by a few yards and he swung the ball both ways. And this time round, he got a wicket off the last ball of the first over. The delivery that pinged Hamish Rutherford wasn’t any magical but simply perfect. It pitched on middle and snuck back just onto his pads.
His next wicket—again off the last ball of an over—came off smart planning. He mixed his length to Peter Fulton before eventually snapping him up with a routine half-volley. In the first over, he tempted him to drive whereas in the second, he pushed him onto the back-foot with short-of-length balls shaping into his body. Fulton, with a tendency to keep his feet static, drove from the crease and edged to Ravindra Jadeja at short-cover.
He almost consumed Ross Taylor with the first ball of his next over, only for the edge to fall short of the gully. Three balls later, an inside edge saved him from being trapped adjacent. He tested his technique as well temperament, and the latter survived more by default than design. His four overs before lunch set the tone for India’s belated comeback. “No doubt he is a match-winner. His quality to take wickets in bunches is what decides him from a good bowler to a really, really good bowler” Zaheer Khan said later.
After lunch, too, he steamed in and harassed Taylor, who by then had shed his intentions to attack. But for the odd ball that strayed down, Taylor shut-shop completely. And he was lucky that he wasn’t subject to embarrassment like Corey Anderson. Shami took most of the balls away from him before he made one snake back. Anderson was caught unawares and the balls sneaked through the gate.
And for the first time in the series, India’s bowlers demonstrated pack mentality. Shami was duly supplemented by Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Even Jadeja, wasteful hitherto, strangled the batsmen.
Scoreboard
New Zealand (1st innings) 503. India (1st innings, overnight 130-4) Rohit b Boult 72, Rahane c Taylor b Southee 26, Dhoni c Watling b Wagner 10, Jadeja (not out) 30, Zaheer c Watling b Wagner 14, Ishant c Boult b Southee 0, Shami c Fulton b Wagner 2, Extras (b-5, lb-6, w-3, nb-3) 17, Total (10 wickets, 60 overs) 202. Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-3, 3-10, 4-51, 5-138, 6-138, 7-167, 8-188, 9-189. Bowling: Boult 17-2-38-3, Southee 19-6-38-3, Anderson 5-0-29-0, Wagner 11-0-64-4, Sodhi 6-0-13-0, Williamson 2-0-9-0.
New Zealand (2nd innings) Fulton c Jadeja b Shami 5, Rutherford lbw Shami 0, Williamson c Jadeja b Zaheer 3, Taylor c Rahane b Zaheeer 41, B McCullum (run out) 1, Anderson b Shami 2, Watling b Ishant 11, Southee c Pujara b Jadeja 14, Sodhi c Rohit b Ishant 0, Wagner c Jadeja b Ishant 14, Boult (not out) 7, Extras (b-4, w-1, nb-2) 7, Total (all out; 41.2 overs) 105. Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-9, 3-11, 4-15, 5-25, 6-63, 7-78, 8-78, 9-80. Bowling: Shami 12-1-37-3, Zaheer 9-2-23-2, Ishant 10.2-3-28-3, Jadeja 9-4-10-1, Rohit 1-0-3-0.
India (2nd Innings) Vijay c Watling b Southee 13, Dhawan (batting) 49, Pujara (batting) 22, Extras (w-1, nb-2) 3, Total (one wicket; 25 overs) 87. Fall of wicket: 1-36. Bowling: Boult 6-0-28-0, Southee 5-0-18-1, Wagner 6-2-11-0, Anderson 3-0-8-0, Sodhi 4-1-17-0, Williamson 1-0-5-0.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cricket> News / by Sandeep G. / ENS – Chennai / February 09th, 2014
