Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, who coincidentally made their ODI debut together in the series against Pakistan a decade ago, were the flag-bearer of awe-inspiring fast bowling that not only made the contest between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) tight towards the back end but also left the former West Indies pacer and veteran commentator Ian Bishop in astonishment.
After the match, Bishop briefly compared the significance of getting early wickets to claiming scalps at the business end.
The Belmont-born pacer praised the two sphere heads of Indian fast bowling, drew parallels between the Shami’s style and compared it with fellow pacers, Bhuvneshwar and Mohammed Siraj. Bishop disclosed that he likes Shami’s ability to consistently bowl a challenging line and length with a hint of movement.
While talking to Espncricinfo, Bishop said,“He’s (Shami) got 15 power-play wickets. It tells you the value of wickets up front versus wickets at the back end. And you look at Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), and no fault of Bhuvi’s, Bhuvi was excellent with four wickets in the back end, but Shami bowls a test length, a test line and length, very well, which is what (Mohammed) Siraj, when he’s been at his best this season has been able to bowl.”
Talking about IPL 2023, GT have become the first team to qualify for the playoffs, which means Shami will get a few more chances to showcase his bowling skills. On the other hand, SRH are now the second team after Delhi Capitals (DC) to get knocked out of the tournament. The Sunrisers will look to play for pride in their remaining last two fixtures against Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) on May 18 and Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 21.
