Mohammed Shami retirement: India pacer quits Test cricket after 229 wickets
Mohammed Shami announced his Test retirement on Instagram on Friday, ending a red-ball career of 64 Tests and 229 wickets. He stays available for other formats.
Mohammed Shami has retired from Test cricket. The India fast bowler announced it in an emotional Instagram post on Friday, 6 November, three and a half years after his last Test, and “shami” quickly became one of the top Google searches in India.
The decision covers Tests only. Shami has not said he is leaving one-day or T20 cricket, and he has been playing domestic cricket for Bengal this season.
Mohammed Shami’s Test career in numbers
- Tests: 64
- Wickets: 229, at an average of about 27.7
- Five-wicket hauls: 6
- Debut: 2013, against the West Indies in Kolkata
- Last Test: the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023
What made him special
Shami was never the fastest bowler in India’s attack, but he had perhaps the best seam position of his generation: an upright wrist that let the ball land on the seam and move late, both ways. With Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav he formed the pace group that helped India win Test series in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, the first time an Asian side had won there.
He was at his most dangerous in the second innings on worn pitches, when he could make an old ball reverse-swing. Pakistani fans will remember him best from white-ball cricket, including his seven wickets against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semi-final.
Why now?
Shami had ankle surgery after the 2023 World Cup and missed long stretches with injury. Selectors moved on to younger seamers, and he was left out of recent Test squads despite taking wickets in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy.
He had shut down retirement rumours on social media before, so this time the announcement came from him directly.
What next for Shami
At 36, he remains available for India in limited-overs cricket and for Bengal. Whether he plays the IPL again next season is the next question his fans are asking.
