Sultan of Seam: What makes Mohammed Shami very special

A 'thinking bowler': That is the common praise former cricketers shower on Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami

40 wickets in 13 ICC Men’s Cricket ODI World Cup matches across three editions is phenomenal, indeed. That is an average of a little over three wickets per game. And Mohammad Shami takes an ODI World Cup wicket every 16.9 deliveries. There was never a doubt about Shami’s bowling. One of the most experienced swing bowlers and a proven match-winner for India, the 33-year-old Shami has already taken nine wickets in two matches in this ICC World Cup so far. He followed his five for 54 against New Zealand, last Sunday in Dharamsala, with a miserly 4 for 22 in seven probing overs against England, choking the already demoralised defending champions.

Shami was the bowling hero as India romped to a 100-run victory in Lucknow while defending a modest 229, and extending India’s unbeaten run in this World Cup to six matches.

“Shami got the ball to nip around and was almost unplayable,” said Rohit Sharma after collecting his man of the match award on Sunday.

Shami did pose a lot of questions to the Englishmen, as he did to the New Zealanders a week ago, to which the opposition batsmen did not have any answers. The manner in which he set up the dangerous Ben Stokes on Sunday and finally clean bowled him for zero has to be one of the best dismissals of the tournament, as it was the culmination of mind games and skills.

Moneycontrol spoke to former India players who have followed Shami’s career closely soon after India’s win on Sunday, and one thing they all said in unison was that Shami is an intelligent bowler who knows what he is doing.

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Here’s what they had to say about Shami and what makes him so special:

‘A thinking bowler’

Balwinder Singh Sandhu, former India medium-pacer and 1983 World Cup-winning member, and also a coach at the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team and the National Cricket Academy said: “The first time I saw Shami was before he played for India. He was playing at BKC ground in Mumbai and I was telling former off-spinner from East Zone Venkatram that Shami would be the next India bowler from Bengal. At that time, Ashok Dinda was in the running for the India cap. I saw Shami for the first time then and saw that he had all the qualities to play for India.

"I told Venkatram, ‘He knows what he is bowling, he is a thinking bowler, his release of the ball is beautiful, he releases like an international player’. Venkatram said that Dinda was already in the reckoning. I said, ‘I don’t think Dinda will play for long. He is not a thinking bowler. But Shami is. That kind of a bowler will always bowl well at international level’.

“One-and-a-half years ago, when I went to Kolkata, I met Venkatram and he reminded me of that BKC conversation and said what I had spoken of Shami came true.

“Even against England on Sunday, when Siraj bowled, the England batsmen planned to go after him. If I was the coach, I’d send message to change Siraj after two overs and bring in Shami with the pitch seaming with something on it that helped the bowlers. Shami is the bowler who picks wickets on these kinds of surfaces, when the ball is seaming and swinging. That is the hallmark of a great bowler. Shami knows what he is doing. A few years back, Shami was just bowling. Now, he has become a thinking bowler. Even Jasprit Bumrah knows what he is doing. That is why he is a dangerous bowler. Same with Kuldeep Yadav. Earlier, Kuldeep was more worried about his line and length. Now, he is thinking the batsman out. That shows his confidence about his skills. He is thinking positively and thinking of getting batsmen out. Jadeja has always been a smart bowler and a smart cricketer. You put him in any situation and he knows what he is doing. But, among the current lot, Shami is my favourite.

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“Perhaps not playing in the first four matches of this World Cup worked well for Shami. He was hungry for wickets when he got the chance against New Zealand. Now that he is in the playing 11, if I were the bowling coach of India, I’d make him open the bowling. From one end, you are swinging the ball and from the other end, you have Bumrah’s pace.”

‘Shami's pressure helps others’

TA Sekar, one of the fastest bowlers in India during his playing days, played two Tests and four ODIs for India. He later became a renowned fast bowling coach at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai and is now a talent scout for Mumbai Indians. He said: “Shami should have been playing right from the first game. He is a wicket-taking bowler. He doesn’t bowl for containment. He moves the ball very well. He is one of the better new ball bowlers going around, particularly when the white ball is not moving. Against England, he bowled superbly. The way he cramped Stokes, the Englishman became desperate. Shami bowled a beautiful inswinger and Stokes did not have time, played too close to his body and could not connect, only to be bowled. Shami has been a very attacking bowler who could swing both ways. He creates different angles, has a good bouncer, very sharp, bowls consistently at 135-140 kmph.

“He has always been an excellent red ball bowler and now with white ball, too, he is aging like fine wine. He looks much more fit than earlier. He is surpremely confident. With Shami coming into the playing 11, the Indian team bowling looks lethal. Shami creates a lot of pressure, which helps other bowlers. Shami should be definitely bowling with the new ball and not come at first change.”

‘Added cricketing intelligence to his repertoire’

Lakshmipathi Balaji, former India pacer and later the bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings, is now the coach of Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy team. He said: “Shami has matured a lot in the last couple of years in white ball cricket. We all know his ability. Along with Bumrah, he is also becoming an intelligent bowler. Bowling intelligently in Indian conditions that are not helpful for the fast bowlers. The way Shami is using his intelligence and the way he picks up wickets, the way he produces the breakthroughs is phenomenal. He is not only skillful but is also a good student of the game.

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“Shami’s cricketing intelligence, especially in the subcontinent conditions, is outstanding. He has always been a skillful bowler. In the recent past, he added his cricketing intelligence to his repertoire. The way he uses the old ball, the way he bowls yorker and other skills, he attacks the stumps consistently and the manner in which he and Bumrah polish up the tail reminds me of how the Pakistan great Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis cleaned up the tail in the 1990s. And, they proved it again against England on Sunday, finishing the England tail pretty fast.

“I always thought Shami would get a game in this World Cup but it is okay that he was not picked for the first four matches. Right now, we have the batting cushion and can play Shami as a prime swing bowler. Earlier, Hardik Pandya was the third seamer and we played two spinners and won matches. When Hardik became unavailable, Shami became the automatic choice. You need three pacers and all the three are quality bowlers. I am sure Shami has pushed his selection case with his solid performance ahead of Siraj (if Hardik is fit and back).”

‘Has tremendous confidence in his ability’

Manoj Tiwary, a former India batsman and Bengal captain under whom Shami made his debut for Bengal in 2010-11 season, had this to say: “Even before the World Cup began, I have always picked Shami as my No. 1 bowler, followed by Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and then the two spinners. What makes Shami special is his ability and the control over his ability. He has tremendous confidence in his ability.

“His action is so smooth. The biomechanics of his bowling is very close to perfection. That’s what makes him a better bowler from the rest. His wrist position falls in the bracket of perfect biomechanics. He is not a fast bowler who puts in extra bit of effort for extra pace. His run up is smooth, he completes his action with ease and still gets that pace consistently, bowling at 85-88 miles per hour (136kmph-141 kmph). He has got that upright seam position and most importantly, has great control over his lengths.

“He operates brilliantly with the new ball and the old all, understanding the situation and reading the batsmen and changing the lengths accordingly. For example, against Ben Stokes, the very first ball he bowled triggered fear in the batsman’s mind. Ben Stokes, being a world-class player, wanted to dominate Shami by charging him. Shami understood the length and brought the ball inside, pitched a little up rather than a little short. He has that game awareness. That comes when you have control over your ability. These are the qualities that make Shami stand out.

“Shami made his debut for Bengal under my captaincy and the very first moment, we knew he was one for the future for Bengal and for India. After getting used to first-class cricket with raw pace, that hunger to succeed has taken him to greater heights. Any player who comes from a struggling background is normally hardworking. Shami has understood what he needs to do and is someone who is very hard working at his skill and which we have seen over a period of time. He has shown tremendous mental strength. Bouncing back from his personal hardships, he has shown he can focus on his game and that people can bounce back from any situation and still succeed in life. He has always been a hardworking individual and he has a lot of backing here in Kolkata.

“Without doubt, Shami should be an automatic choice for the rest of this World Cup should India stand a chance of winning the title.”