NEW DELHI: With the dust settling after Sunday's Kings XI Punjab-Mumbai Indians clash which had more twists and turns than a Hitchcock classic, Mohammed Shami's progression from an IPL no-show in the past to a crucial cog in Punjab's bowling machinery came sharply into focus.
While skipper KL Rahul has taken most of the plaudits for his batting displays over the course of this season, Shami's improvement as an IPL bowler has been clear to see. It was his superlative bowling in the first Super Over where he managed to restrict Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock to five runs, matching his India counterpart Jasprit Bumrah in the yorker department. With no margin for error, the 30-year-old nailed five of his six deliveries in the block hole, taking the match to an extraordinary second Super Over. All this was accomplished with a smile on the face!
This was the same pacer who struggled for KKR and Delhi in the past, never managing to play the full quota of matches and more than seven wickets in a single campaign with his strike rate and economy rate taking a major beating. Putting injuries and personal turmoil aside, ever since he was picked up by Punjab, Shami has started delivering the goods. In one and a half seasons, the UP-born speedster has more scalps (33) than in the previous six seasons combined (21), having played 14 matches fewer.
Last season he had finished seventh on the list of wicket-takers, tied with Bumrah with an economy rate of 8.68, average of 24.68 and strike rate of 17.05. He has managed to improve in all three aspects — economy of 8.59, average of 21.28, and a strike rate of 14.85.
"He (Shami) was very clear he wanted to go with six yorkers. He has been phenomenal, and keeps getting better every game. It is important that senior players win games for the team," Rahul said at the post-match presentation.
Shami's use of the bouncer has also come in for praise, with former cricketers talking about his ability to deliver different variations of it. But there is scope for improvement. His death bowling (17-20 overs) economy rate this year has been 13.86. Add to this his ability to come back when the chips are down and Punjab will hope for more of it from their premier pacer in the matches to come.