Mohammed Shami returns to 50-over cricket and named to Bengal’s Vijay Hazare team

Mohammed Shami, a seasoned quick, has made his return to 50-over cricket after being selected for the forthcoming competition. The Bengal team for the 2024–25 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s top 50-over domestic competition, has named Shami as a member. Shami last played a One-Dayer at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup 2023 Final.

With their group E placement, Bengal will play all of their league-stage games in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. They will be captained by Sudip Kumar Gharami during the 50-over competition, just like in SMAT 2024. The eastern state’s two wicketkeeping alternatives are Shakir Habib Gandhi and Abishek Porel. Mohammed Kaif, an all-rounder and Shami’s younger brother, has also been included in the squad.

Returning to Mohammed Shami, the Amroha native played in a Ranji match this season to resume playing professional cricket.

At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, he most recently played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quarterfinal versus Baroda. In the nine tournament games, the pacer claimed 11 wickets. He also helped out with a fast-paced 32* against Chandigarh in the pre-quarterfinal match.

The VHT team from Bengal also includes Mukesh Kumar.

In addition to Shami, the veteran pro is anticipated to head the pace battery with 31-year-old Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar. Given that the right-arm bowler is currently in Australia with the Indian team as a travelling reserve and is anticipated to stay in the mix till the end of the series, Mukesh might not play in Bengal’s opening few games. He might therefore only appear in knockout matches if Bengal makes it.

Bengal Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25:

Sudip Kumar Gharami (capt), Mohammed Shami, Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel (wk), Sudip Chatterjee, Karan Lal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Sumanta Gupta, Subham Chatterjee, Ranjot Singh Khaira, Pradipta Pramanik, Kaushik Maity, Vikas Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Saksham Chaudhary, Rohit Kumar, Mohammed Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth

Bengal Schedule for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25