Mohammed Shami's white-ball future in doubt after report says Test cricket will be his focus

Mohammed Shami was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded ODI World Cup with 24 scalps, but his immediate white-ball future is unclear as per the latest reports. Shami has not been named in the ODI and T20Is squads for the South Africa tour and only finds a place in the Test squad also his involvement is subject to clearing the fitness test. As per news agency PTI, Shami is currently struggling with an issue with his ankle and recently visited a sports orthopaedic in Mumbai. “It is not exactly an on-field injury. It is an ankle condition that has developed. Shami came to Mumbai to consult the doctors. He will also go to NCA for rehab and recuperation work,” a BCCI source told PTI on Friday. “The national selectors wouldn’t have selected him had there not been a chance of him getting fit in time for the Boxing Day Test.” The same report added that “Shami won’t play white ball games as there are seven Test matches, including five against England at home and the ‘Amroha Express’ is expected to play a big role in the sub-continental conditions where the ball reverses a lot.” This indicated that Shami may not even return to India’s T20I squad for the Afghanistan series in January 2024 even if he gets fit. The BCCI source, however, added that Shami could still make it to the T20 World Cup 2024 in June and his selection will be based on his performance in IPL 2024. “Whether Shami will play next year’s T20 World Cup will depend on how he fares in the Indian Premier League, where he has had two good seasons for the Gujarat Titans,” the report said. Shami was originally also not a part of India’s squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup but was drafted in later after Jasprit Bumrah was forced to miss out due to a back injury.