Who is Mohamed Shiraz? 3 interesting facts about Sri Lanka seamer making his debut vs India in 1st ODI
India are currently playing Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the three-match series at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Friday, August 2.
The hosts handed out a debut to seamer Mohamed Shiraz in this game after the selectors decided not to risk Matheesha Pathirana, who complained of a shoulder issue after the T20I series, in the ODI rubber.
Shiraz grabbed headlines most recently when he picked up six wickets for just 21 runs against Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club while representing Burgher Recreation Club in the Major Clubs Limited Overs Tournament.
In this listicle, we take a look at three interesting facts about Shiraz:
#1 He made his FC debut as recently as 2016-17
What is extremely interesting about Shiraz is that he made his first-class debut as recently as 2016-17. He turned out for the prestigious Colts Cricket Club against Moors Sports Club in Colombo in that game but picked up just one wicket.
Colts batted first and put up a decent total of 367. Moors, however, were bowled out for a mere 158 in the first innings and got to 132 while following on in the second innings.
Shiraz picked up a wicket in the first innings and did not bowl in the second. However, his record in domestic cricket is quite impressive; he has 125 wickets in 49 first-class games to go with 80 wickets in 47 List-A encounters.
#2 He was first picked for Sri Lanka in 2019
Another interesting fact about Shiraz is that he was first picked in Sri Lanka's Test squad on their tour to South Africa in early 2019. However, he did not get a game.
That tour ended up being one of the most historic ones for the island nation as they whitewashed the hosts 2-0 in the Test series, with wins in Durban and Port Elizabeth under the leadership of Dimuth Karunaratne.
Sri Lanka, however, lost the ODI series 0-5 and the T20I series 0-3 to South Africa under Lasith Malinga's captaincy.
#3 He missed out on playing in the SLC Invitational tournament due to Covid-19
Shiraz missed out on the 2021 Sri Lanka Cricket Invitational T20 tournament after contracting COVID-19 ahead of the first game. As a result, he missed the entire tournament.
In the past, Shiraz was also drafted into the Galle Gladiators squad for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League. He has now moved on to playing for Burghers Recreation Club from Colts Cricket Club in domestic cricket.