On Sunday, Mohammad Shami’s strapped left knee was the centre of attention at the Eden Gardens. He was enveloped with a big hug by the bowling coach Morne Morkel, and before long was showing to Morkel how he backspins the seam with his fingers at release. It wasn’t clear if Morkel was the coach or the one being coached as he stood in rapt attention, arms across his chest, watching the modern-day seam master at work. By the end of the nets session, the focus had shifted back to that beautiful seam, and as Shami sauntered back to the change room, he stopped and signed autographs on t-shirts that were squeezed through the tiny gaps in the fence by the fans.
On Monday, a couple of days before the 5-match T20 series, England’s Jofra Archer was the focus. The importance of the two seamers for both teams can’t be overstated. In some ways, both have similar issues: their bodies, more than skills which no one doubts, will be the focus over the next couple of weeks. England sweated a lot over whether they should allow Archer to enter the IPL auction before yielding to market forces. India have fretted about Shami enough in the recent times – even in Australia the Indian management was repeatedly quizzed about the chances of him playing at least one Test there.
It’s not often that a T20I bilateral series between India and England feels more like a tune-up but with the Champions Trophy coming up in less than a month’s time, all eyes are on the ODI leg of the tour, set to begin on February 6.
However, the T20I series will be crucial for both sides to gauge the match fitness of two Shami and Archer, both of whom are expected to play a key part in the upcoming 50-over ICC event.
With India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s availability in the Champions Trophy subject to fitness, the responsibility to lead the country’s pace battery will fall on the shoulders of Shami, making a return to the national setup for the first time since the 2023 World Cup.
The 34-year-old though had returned to action in the domestic circuit last November, representing Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, showcasing his speed and seam movement that makes him almost unplayable on his best days.
Before his injury, Shami had set the 2023 World Cup on fire, snapping up 24 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker of the tournament despite being benched for the first 4 matches, his best being a complete obliteration of New Zealand in the semifinal where he took 7 scalps.
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami
Even vice-captain Axar Patel backed Shami to replicate his World Cup form in the 1st T20I vs England in Kolkata on Monday, saying “We all know what Shami bhai brings to the table, whether it’s with the new ball or in the death overs. His presence, especially with the new ball, is a huge advantage for the team. Hopefully, he continues the same form he showcased in the World Cup.”
However, Shami’s national team return is in a format that is his least successful with the pacer bagging just 24 wickets in 23 matches at an average of 29.62 since his 2014 debut. His last T20I encounter in national colours was 2 years ago in the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup, incidentally also against England who thrashed India by 10 wickets.
So, it bodes well for the Bengal pacer as he’ll be making his return in his home ground of Eden Gardens on Wednesday with the crowd set to welcome their hometown hero back in all his glory.
Now, if you look at Archer, expected to lead England’s bowling lineup in the Champions Trophy, the Barbadian-English has had a rather stop-start career blighted by injuries. After bursting on to the scene as a part of England’s 2019 World Cup winning team, the last few years of Archer’s career have been spent more on the shelf than on the field. He had limited appearances for his country in 2021 after two operations on his right elbow before a back injury in 2022 ruled him out for the entire year, missing out on England’s T20 World Cup winning campaign.
The pacer would make his comeback in the England squad in 2023 for the South Africa series before getting injured again. He was then selected for the 2024 T20 World Cup squad and played in all the matches, taking 10 wickets in the tournament before England were eliminated by eventual champions India. The 29-year-old has managed to remain injury-free since then, last participating in the white-ball series against the West Indies in November.
Archer, who has played 27 ODIs for England and has snapped up 47 wickets, will be a force to be reckoned with in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan but before that, England will look to the lanky pacer to get the job done against India in the upcoming white-ball series. But workload management will be pretty important for the Three Lions in order to keep players like Archer healthy.
Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, had talked about the situation. “You always sort of just make sure that you know how the guys are feeling. And if they’re feeling a little bit off at any stage, then you’re not afraid to back guys off and then give someone else an opportunity. You know, when you bowl in excess of 90 miles an hour, I think we’ve seen that can sometimes have its own demands. We’re going to make sure that those guys are fresh. But it’s the same for all our bowlers, to be honest. Like, just making sure that you’re healthy.”
It might be a possible hint that England are going to wrap Archer in cotton wool and use him sparingly if needed in the India series to have him fresh for the Champions Trophy. Incidentally, the India series also marks the first time that McCullum is in control as coach for the white-ball team as well. He had spoken about his excitement for the new role when he was appointed: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Test team, and I’m excited to extend my role to include the white-ball sides. This new challenge is something I’m ready to embrace, and I’m eager to work closely with [white-ball captain] Jos [Buttler] and the team to build on the strong foundations that are already in place.”
I’m Manas Ranjan Sahoo: Founder of “Webtirety Software”. I’m a Full-time Software Professional and an aspiring entrepreneur, dedicated to growing this platform as large as possible. I love to Write Blogs on Software, Mobile applications, Web Technology, eCommerce, SEO, and about My experience with Life.
