India vs Australia: Everyone talks about Mohammed Shami’s wrist position, but very few know how he gets it right, says his childhood coach

 On a day where Thakur leaked 78 runs in 10 overs, Shami returns with figures of 5/51 in the first ODI vs Australia.

Before the T20 World Cup in Australia last year, Pakistan Cricket Board shared a video where Mohammed Shami can be seen sharing tips to Shaheen Shah Afridi at the sidelines of a net session. “I have been following you since I started bowling and I am a big fan of your wrist position,” Shaheen had said to Shami. All of those traits Shaheen was talking about Shami’s upright wrist position were visible on Friday afternoon, when he bagged 5/51 in the first ODI against Australia.

Mohali is certainly not Edgbaston or Manchester and over the years, it has turned into one of the flattest tracks in the country. Friday was no exception as on a batting-friendly surface, Shami swung the ball both ways and sent a timely reminder as to why he should be starting every game at the World Cup.

He started off with a loosener which was slapped past a deep backward point by Mithcell Marsh. Two balls later, Shami the magician, sent down an ideal out-swinger that Marsh had no answers to. It was the classic Test match length, one that Shami relies so extensively on, that undid Marsh. As he got one to land around the off-stump channel, Marsh had no choice but to commit to playing it. But this one from Shami landed on the seam and moved just enough to take the outside edge and Shubman Gill at the first slip, accepted the catch gleefully.

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The best was yet to come. David Warner, who always finds it difficult against Shami, was all at sea again. The Australian was hardly using his feet and was seen tamely caught at the crease, pushing and prodding. As Shami repeatedly beat the outside and inside edge, the frustration was beginning to build on Warner as he even made a futile attempt of charging down the ground. Warner faced 11 deliveries from Shami and managed to score just a single.

Shami’s incredible seam position has been the standout feature in his bowling, courtesy his wrist position. His childhood coach, Mohammed Badruddin, explains his ward’s hard work behind his immaculate art, on which he has worked on for the past twenty years. “Every day he will take one old ball home. His father once showed me the stain of red balls on the wall in front of his bed. He used to throw the ball and then will catch it just to perfect his wrist position,” reminisces Badruddin.

“How many balls have lost its shape. Everyone talks about his wrist position, but very few people know about the work he has put in to perfect it. I have seen so many bowlers with good wrist positions, but it won’t be the same after a while. The reason is they don’t work hard to perfect it,” he says.

After his initial burst (4-1-16-1) in extreme hot and humid conditions, where he bowled at full steam, Shami took a breather. And by the time the 33-year-old returned for the second spell he looked totally charged up again as he cleaned up Steve Smith, who was beginning to threaten India, with a nip-backer, which took the inside edge and rattled the stumps. And off the last ball of his second spell, he nearly had Cameron Green, who almost chopped on thanks to the late movement which left the Australian in two minds whether to leave or play.

Apart from his ability to take wickets with the new ball, Shami also prefers bowling with a slightly old ball as it brings reverse-swing into the equation. On a day where India rested Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur ended up on the expensive side giving away 78 runs in the 10 overs he sent down, Shami made another compelling case for his inclusion.

Though he is very much part of the plan, India are not prepared to field all three of Shami, Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah together as it would leave them with a long tail if one factors in Kuldeep Yadav as well. It is the reason India have been preferring Thakur over Shami, even though the former doesn’t always finish his quota of 10 overs. There is also the other concern around Shami, who is known to be expensive at the death that even at the IPL, Gujarat Titans preferred to use him mostly with the new ball.

At Mohali, Shami showed he is not that bad at death. For a bowler, who rarely uses his variations at the death, Shami used the slower deliveries to good effect. When Marcus Stoinis smoked him for consecutive boundaries in the 47th over, Shami came back stronger by cleaning him up. Then off his last over, he picked up the wickets of Matthew Short and Sean Abbott courtesy clever change of pace. First up, Short was caught at mid-wicket and two balls later, Abbot chopped on as Shami finished his quota of 10 overs with 5 for 51..!