Ranji Trophy News: Shami allowed to bowl 15 overs only
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has received a green signal from the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) to represent his team Bengal in their Ranji Trophy match against Kerala at Eden Gardens, starting from Tuesday.
However, as Shami has secured his spot in the Indian squad to face Australia for four Test matches on December, the BCCI has allowed the speedster to bowl 15 overs per innings.
The BCCI has also asked the Bengal team management to submit a fitness and workload report of the experienced pace bowler to the board physio at the end of each day's play.
Shami has been an integral part of the Indian pace battery, as he bowled exceedingly well in the two overseas Test series India have played this year.
Shami also has immense experience which would benefit India in their upcoming Test series versus Australia.
Bengal were fine with the impositions on Shami and included him in their 16-man squad which was announced on Friday after the pacer seemed eager to return to domestic cricket by making an appearance in his team's match against Madhya Pradesh on Monday.
Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary understood the board's decision to restrict Shami from bowling more overs quite well and welcomed Shami back to where he belonged.
"India obviously comes first and we have to respect what the BCCI has said," Tiwary said after the selection committee meeting on Friday.
Tiwary also went on to mention that it would not take 15 overs for Shami if he catches his rhythm early.
"I don't think he (Shami) will need so many overs. We are confident about his ability and with the type of result-oriented pitch we are planning to play on in this match, I believe he will do the job along with the other bowlers," the skipper said.
Shami is India's leading wicket-taker in the Test format for India this year after he picked up 15 wickets against South Africa, 16 against England and two against the Windies in the three series he has played in 2018.
Though statistics show that Shami was not at his best in the England Tests, he bowled beautifully in patches, which allowed the other bowlers to grab important wickets.
However, Shami had looked slightly off-colour after making a comeback to international cricket, as his wife lodged some complaints against him.
Nonetheless, Shami will have a big role to play for India in the Test series against Australia starting later this year.