Shami had a fairytale comeback to team India after being dropped in the first few matches.
Cricketer Mohammed Shami who was warming the benches in the first three encounters of team India, got his chance against Afghanistan after Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was ruled out owing to a hamstring injury. And Shami, grabbed the opportunity by both hands grabbing four wickets for 40 runs including a last over hat-trick which helped India edge past Affghanistan in a low-scoring thriller.
Needing 16 runs to wins, Afghanistan was in with more than a sniff to win the match to create what would have been one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history ever. But Shami held his cool despite getting hit for a boundary in the first ball when in-form former Afghan captain Mohammad Nabi carted him straight down the ground.
But Shami backed his skills and bowled again in the yorker length, marginally missing his spot. Nabi tried to clear the fence again only to be holed out in long on. The next two balls were a breeze as Shami cleaned up the tailenders with toe-crushing yorkers to become only the second Indian after Chetan Sharma way back in 1987 to get a world cup hat-trick.
Shami has overcome a huge low in personal life after his ugly public spat with wife Hasin Jahan who had accused him of domestic violence and infidelity. Jahan even claimed that Shami was involved in match-fixing though she couldn't furnish any proof for these allegations. Now, estranged wife Jahan has reacted to Shami's performance.
Here's what she has to say:
1. This is what Hasina said
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Speaking to Amar Ujala, Hasin Jahan said that playing for the country is a matter of pride for all players. To do well in a match is really awesome. Hasin Jahan said that she hopes team India lift the World Cup trophy.
Without directly naming Shami, Hasin said that it is a matter of great pride for players to perform well in the highest stage. She said that team India has to maintain this rich vein of form to win the World Cup.
Shami's elder brother who lives in their ancestral home in Moradabad, UP also shared how they felt when the pacer got the hat-trick. According to him, they were tensed as the match was extremely tight and Shami emerging as a key gamechanger was the icing in the cake of India's victory. They were crestfallen in the first few matches when Shami was not included in the eleven, but Saturday's match brought back their joy.
2. How MSD helped Shami to fix the target
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Mohammed Shami had no second thoughts about bowling a yorker for a hat-trick delivery after Mahendra Singh Dhoni advised the same during India's thrilling World Cup encounter against Afghanistan in Southampton.
Shami is the second Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in World Cup after Chetan Sharma's feat against New Zealand in the 1987 edition. This is the 10th hat-trick in history of 50-over World Cup.
"The plan was simple. To bowl a yorker and even Mahi bhai suggested that. He said, 'Don't change anything now as you have a great chance of getting a hat-trick. It's a rare opportunity and you need to do the same thing. So I did what exactly I was told," Shami told reporters after returning with figures of 4 for 40.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's left-hamstring stiffness brought Shami into the picture and the Bengal pacer accepts that it was a stroke of luck that he was in the playing XI.
"Getting a chance in the playing XI is a bit of luck. I was ready that whenever I get a chance, I will have to utilise it. As far as hat-trick is concerned, it is a rarity at least in the World Cup. I am happy," he said.
Shami said in the final over, there was no time to think and the aim was to execute the plan.
"There was no time to think. You have to back your own skills as you don't have many options otherwise. If you try more variations, the chances of going for runs is more. My thought was to execute my plan rather than trying to read batsman's mind," he said.
The Indian bowlers had realised that short ball was a weapon that could be used effectively and both pacers -- Shami and Jasprit Bumrah -- did just that against Afghan batsmen.
"We didn't bowl fuller length deliveries as it was coming onto the bat well. We knew they would be circumspect against short balls. Our gameplan was simple, bowl bouncers from varying lengths," he added.
All-rounder Mohammed Nabi had threatened to take the game away with his half-century and Shami said it was important that they don't let the shoulders drop.
"There was a point when Nabi's flow was irritating but it's better if you don't show your concern or irritation which the batsman would have gauged," he said.
"We shouldn't show our weakness. From the exterior, we should always show aggression. We knew that if Nabi was out, then match belongs to us. He was the only batsman who could have built their innings." For someone, who loved his biryani, Shami's new mantra has been fitness which helped him bowl some great spells for India in Test matches last year.
"This is a long journey, maybe, around two years. Post-injury, I had put on weight and I could feel that. After one spell, I would feel tired and there would be tightness. I had surgery too. At that point in time, I could sense that if I had to continue playing cricket, I better do something extra," Shami recalled.
Team India trainer Shankar Basu in a recent interview to PTI spoke about how fitness has become Shami's lifestyle.
Even the player at times fails to believe this change.
"People laugh that I follow a diet. Actually, I don't follow any strict diet but if the doctor advises on certain dietary restrictions, I try maintaining that. It is for my benefit that I don't eat sweets or wheat products (bread). It helps me only," he said.- PTI
3. What are the allegations against Shami
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Jahan has accused his husband of cheating and domestic abuse after posting picture of his alleged chats with girls. She has since then also accused him of match-fixing. The whole controversy has seemed to threaten Shami's career at one point with his contract suspended by BCCI . However, he later got his contract back and went on to play the Indian Premier League with Delhi Daredevils.
Hasin Jahan, who has accused Mohammed Shami of domestic violence and infidelity, had also alleged that the pacer had forced her to have physical relationship with his brother. She had even claimed that the cricketer’s mother and brother tortured her and wanted to kill her.
She has said that her case is similar to the Kathua rape case.
Jahan, who files a case of domestic violence and infidelity against Shami, has stated that her fate could've been similar to that of the the minor Barkwal community girl who was repeatedly raped for eight days before being strangled and bludgeoned to death. - PTI
