End of the road? Mohammed Shami Concedes 100 runs on Red-Ball Return

Mohammed Shami’s much-anticipated return to red-ball cricket did not go as planned. The veteran pacer, turning out for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, endured a difficult outing against North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Playing his first first-class match in nearly nine months, Shami finished with unflattering figures of 1 for 100 from 23 overs. His lone breakthrough came early when he dismissed Sahil Lotra for 19, but from there on, it was a hard grind.

North Zone’s batters took full advantage, piling up a commanding 408 in their first innings. East Zone’s attack lacked control despite spinner Manishi’s brilliant effort of 6 for 111, while Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal added two wickets. Captain Riyan Parag’s bowling unit otherwise struggled to contain runs.

The match was seen as an important comeback platform for Shami, who last played a red-ball game during the 2023 World Test Championship final.

Despite having enjoyed success in the Ranji Trophy last season with seven wickets in two innings, he couldn’t replicate that rhythm in this fixture.

Shami will now look to turn things around in the second innings to regain some confidence.