3 reasons why ignoring Mohammed Shami for England tour might be a bad idea

Veteran Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami, as per reports, is likely to be ignored for the upcoming tour of England. The 34-year-old has been in woeful form so far in IPL 2025 and hasn’t played the last few games. In the nine matches that Shami has played this year, he has managed to pick just six wickets. His economy rate of 11.23 is the worst of his IPL career, which has spanned 11 seasons so far. 

The Indian Express carried a report which stated that Mohammed Shami isn’t in the plans for the upcoming five-match tour of England. The biggest concern for the selectors is Shami’s ability to bowl long spells. The 34-year-old has just made his return to international cricket after his Achilles injury, which kept him out of action for over one year. 

One source, while speaking to Indian Express, said, “Shami is bowling four overs in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but the board and selectors don't know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers, and we can't take chances.” The newspaper also reported that Arshdeep Singh could finally be given his maiden Test call-up with Anshul Kamboj also in the fray. 

Here are the three reasons why Mohammed Shami shouldn’t be ignored for England tour

3- Overall numbers in England

Mohammed Shami has played 14 Tests in England and picked 42 wickets. Shami has picked five wickets in Edgbaston, four in Headingley, six wickets at the Oval, and eight wickets in Lord’s. These are the four out of the five venues where India are set to play their matches, with Manchester being the fifth. Shami has also taken 44 Test wickets against England, which makes him the third most successful bowler in the current setup. Ravindra Jadeja with 70 wickets and Jasprit Bumrah with 60 are in the top two spots when we speak about current Indian players with the most Test wickets against England. 

2- Ability to bowl conventional and reverse swing

34-year-old Mohammed Shami has always been able to bowl the away-swingers to trouble the batters in English conditions. The likes of Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ollie Pope tend to play away from their body early in the innings. Ball tends to do a lot in England if the conditions are overcast, as natural swing comes into play. This is where Shami becomes dangerous, as he tends to swing the ball more than Mohammed Siraj or Bumrah. If the pitch is dry and abrasive with the sun beating down, Shami’s ability to bowl reverse swing comes in handy. Over the years, Stuart Broad in particular has shown that reverse swing plays a key role in English conditions in the fourth innings. 

1- Jasprit Bumrah’s likely absence in few games

It is expected that Jasprit Bumrah will not play all five Test matches in the coming tour of England due to workload issues. This will leave India with just one experienced pacer in Mohammed Siraj, while the likes of Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Anshul Kamboj could be playing in England for the first time. Shami has already toured England three times and in Bumrah’s absence, the right-arm seamer comes as the leader of the bowling group. With England batting aggressively, the game can be decided in one session, and Shami’s ability to control proceedings and put breaks on scoring will come in handy.