[Watch] Mohammed Shami strikes twice to send back Kane Williamson and Tom Latham in a flash during IND vs NZ semi-final clash
Mohammed Shami struck twice in the same over to send back New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and vice-captain Tom Latham in the 2023 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Shami first broke the third-wicket partnership of 181 runs by dismissing Williamson. The dismissal took place in the 33rd over when he bowled a length bowl, angling it back to Williamson.
The Blackcaps skipper whipped the ball towards the backward square leg boundary. The ball, however, hit the lower half of the bat and holed out to Suryakumar Yadav, who grabbed it with both hands. Williamson looked gutted with his shot as he walked out after scoring 69 runs off 73 balls.
Shami then bowled a pitched-up delivery to Latham that nipped back into the left-handed batter and hit the pads in front of the middle stump. The latter got beaten for the pace and was quite late to get his bat down. It was an easy call for on-field umpire Richard Illingworth as the Kiwis were reduced to 220/4 in a 398-run chase.
It was redemption for Mohammed Shami after he dropped Williamson on 52 while fielding at mid-on off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling during the 29th over.
Watch the dismissals below:
Shami had earlier sent back the Blackcaps openers, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. The duo were caught behind by wicketkeeper KL Rahul.
Mohammed Shami becomes the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in ODI World Cup
With Kane Williamson's wicket, Shami became the fastest bowler to complete 50 wickets by achieving the milestone in just 17 innings at the ODI World Cup. He broke the record previously held by Australia ace pacer Mitchell Starc, who achieved the feat in 19 innings.
The 33-year-old is also India’s leading wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup and his tally increased to 20 wickets after the first four dismissals.
Mohammed Shami previously picked up a five-wicket haul against the Kiwis during the league stage game in Dharamsala, where the Men in Blue won the game by four wickets. Surprisingly, he was rested for the first four matches.