"Mohammed Shami will be there.." Jay Shah confirms pacer's availability for Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia

Mohammed Shami has been out of action since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final.

Senior India pacer Mohammed Shami has been out of action since the World Cup 2023 final on November 19 last year. He played the tournament with an ankle injury and yet ended up as the top wicket-taker.

However, his injury worsened during the World Cup and eventually, he needed surgery.

Shami went through ankle surgery in February in London. Upon returning from London, he has been in rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Shami has started bowling at nets with a short run up but his timeline of return has been extended, which was initially thought to be next month’s test series against Bangladesh.

India have a long test season coming up where they will play 10 Tests from September to January. It includes home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand and the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.

Jay Shah confirms Mohammed Shami’s return for Australia’s tour

Earlier, chief Indian selector Ajit Agarkar said that Mohammed Shami is expected to return in the two-match test series against Bangladesh, starting on September 19.

On the other hand, the pacer sparked concerns during his felicitation ceremony in Kolkata when he said, “It’s difficult to say when I will be back.”

However, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has downplayed the concerns and said that Shami will feature in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

In an interview with the Times of India, he spoke on India’s preparation. Shah provided a major update on Shami’s fitness. He said, “Mohammad Shami is expected to be fit too. Your question about Shami is right… he will be there because he is experienced, and we need him in Australia.”

According to the updated BCCI directive, a player coming back from injury will have to prove his match fitness by playing domestic cricket. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, Snehashish Ganguly, said about Mohammed Shami’s comeback, “He wants to be on that tour. But he has to play Ranji Trophy to prove himself.”

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