Cut from the old cloth

The weather-beaten face, the receding hairline and the air of confidence while facing the camera and the media stand as evidence of Mohammed Shami’s fruitful 11 years, almost, in international cricket. The pacer made his India debut in January 2013, but the person behind the persona remains the same. 

There is a certain casualness about Shami that’s endearing. He is a throwback to the laidback era when cricketers never avoided eye contact, didn’t mind indulging scribes and carried no air of being an international star. Comfortable and confident in his native tongue, he is one Indian cricketer who hasn’t bothered to polish his English-speaking skills, even as his bowling has evolved immensely. And there’s something uplifting when he does well. 

Having warmed the bench for the opening four matches, Shami earned his first chance against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC World Cup, making an immediate impact with a five-wicket haul. The Bengal pacer once again underlined his class with a four-wicket burst against England. Together with Jasprit Bumrah, Shami put on a display of fast bowling seldom witnessed on an Indian pitch. On an admittedly sluggish surface, both Bumrah and Shami worked up good speeds and bowled hard lengths; the sound of the clatter of the stumps was music to ears while a hint of fear in the eyes of English batters was an enduring sight.  

Playing Shardul Thakur ahead of Shami was always a defensive strategy, even a misplaced one. Shardul had had his moments in the past, mainly in red-ball cricket, but to have him in the 11 more for the depth he provides in batting at the cost of a genuine wicket-taker wasn’t a smart bargain. Even if he understood the team management’s line of thinking, Shami admitted it was not easy for him to wait for his opportunity.               

“I was watching everything from the bench,” said Shami after the New Zealand game. “When you are not playing, it is very difficult. But if your team is performing, your boys are moving in a rhythm, then I don’t think you should feel bad sitting outside, because you are also a part of the team and a part of the World Cup. I think everyone should enjoy each other’s success,” he offered.

Gifted with disconcerting pace that belies his relatively short frame for a fast bowler, Shami has many arrows in his quiver, but his strength lies in knowing what can fetch him the desired result. Reams have been written about his perfect seam position, we have seen him swing the ball conventionally as well as reverse. Good or bad, Shami hasn’t been a big fan of modern variations -- slower ball, knuckle ball, wide yorker et al. He is a fast bowler in the traditional mould. This rigid approach has backfired sometimes but has worked often enough for him to stick to his methods.

“I know everything,” retorted Shami after the Dharamsala fifer when a reporter spoke about his ability to maintain a perfect seam position.

“But it depends on what your role is, what the conditions are. You have to see everything because when the ball is not coming quickly off the wicket, you have to focus on line and length. And the result is in front of you.”

The relatively less experienced Mohammed Siraj was all over the place on Sunday against England, but Shami was right on the money from ball one. Immediately realising that bowling straight and fast would make life difficult for the batters on a slow surface, the 33-year-old hit nagging lengths and lines, making it difficult to hit through the line.

Being adventurous against him was always fraught with danger. Ben Stokes was the victim of Shami’s relentless discipline, nine preceding balls of torture triggering a horrendous back-away-and-slash that exposed middle stump and did little to justify the England Test captain’s position as the specialist No. 4 in the ODI set-up.