A record seven-wicket haul from Mohammed Shami powered India past New Zealand at the Wankhede to secure their place in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19).
India batted first in Mumbai, scoring 397-4 and winning by 70 runs. They beat New Zealand for 327 with seven balls to spare, largely thanks to Shami’s talent.
In what will be the theme of the World Cup, Shami hit his first ball of his tenure, finding Devon Conway’s outside edge to give India the first ball. He took the wicket of Rachin Ravindra in the next over and left New Zealand two runs behind in the powerplay.
However, despite the narrow victory, there were some tense moments for India. Kane Williamson and Darryl Mitchell formed a 181 partnership in midfield that at one point threatened to push New Zealand closer to goal. During this partnership, Shami missed a sitter just after Williamson completed his half-century, which could have had a huge impact on the game.
However, Shami was brought to bowl after four overs and dismissed Williamson on the second ball of the first over. He then caught Tom Latham LBW two balls later, putting the match firmly back in India’s hands. These wickets left him with four strikes and his five overs bowled.
In the last two overs of the match, he sealed an incredible World Cup record, although the result was a mere formality at that point. He dismissed Mitchell for 134 in the penultimate over and struck twice in the final over after Ravindra Jadeja took his third catch of the day. Tim Southee was on the back foot from the first ball of the 49th over and hit the crease with the second ball for a huge six before Lockie Ferguson fell for the last wicket.
51 World Cup wickets in just 17 games.
4 times 8 times, average 13 times – Mohammed Shami loves playing World Cup cricket. # CWC23 pic. twitter.com/jOlFxk6aDf
– Wisden (@WisdenCricket) 15. November 2023
Shami finished the match with an impressive record of 7 wins and 57 losses. He is the fifth bowler to take seven wickets in the Men’s ODI World Cup and the first to do so in the semi-finals. Shami also became the first Indian player in this tournament to take seven wickets in an innings, overtaking Ashishnehra for the highest record by an Indian bowler (6 wins, 23 losses).
Shami’s record is the highest ever by an Indian bowler in men’s ODIs, bettering Stuart Binny’s 6-4 in 2014. In the all-time list, Shami’s performance is the 12th best of all time in his ODIs. He was 10th in the world in men’s scores. fast bowler.
He is currently the top wicket-taker in the 2023 competition with 23 wickets from playing just 6 matches. His third of his fives in this tournament puts him at the top of the list for most all-time fives (four) in a Men’s ODI World Cup, ahead of Mitchell Starc with three.
India will face the winner of the second semi-final (South Africa vs. Australia) in the final to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.
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