Did selectors, team management go wrong by not picking Shami for Asia Cup 2022 squad?

Xtra Time Web Desk: The Indian team is virtually knocked out of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 after the loss to Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in Super 4 clash on Tuesday. With Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel injured, the selectors preferred not to include Mohammed Shami in the Asia Cup squad.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri also questioned the Indian team management’s decision to select only four pacers for the Asia Cup T20 tournament, saying that he was baffled to see an experienced Shami sitting at home despite having a strong IPL season. Shastri’s comments came after India were knocked out by Dasun Shanaka and his team. For India to qualify for the final they had to wait for the results of other teams.

Coming back to Shami, the fast bowler was in stupendous form in IPL 2022. He finished the season with 20 wickets in 16 games at 24.40. He was one of the key performers for champions Gujarat Titans.

Unfortunately, Shami last played the shortest format of the game in the 2021 T20 World Cup and hasn’t been called up to the squad since. The experienced fast bowler has not been in the scheme of things as far as T20 format is concerned. Young guns like Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh was preferred over Shami for the Asia Cup squad.

He did not feature in the home series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and South Africa. He was also not picked for the away series against Ireland, England, and West Indies. Shami has 18 scalps in 17 T20Is at 31.55, having made his first appearance against Pakistan in Mirpur in 2014.

The fast bowler from Moradabad is projected as a bowler for the longer format and ODIs. With the home T20I series coming up against Australia and South Africa, Shami should be tried as there are lot of experimentations happening around in the Indian team.

The selectors should include Shami for the T20 World Cup squad because he could be effective on the fast bouncy tracks in Australia. It goes to be seen if good sense prevails as the selectors are likely to announce the T20 World Cup squad by September 16.