Mohammed Shami poised for long-awaited comeback to cricket after nearly a year on the sidelines

Kolkata [India]: Star India pacer Mohammed Shami is all set to make his comeback to competitive cricket as he gears up to represent the Bengal Ranji Team against Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Indore, scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Following the end of the ODI World Cup 2023, the India pacer suffered an ankle injury, which forced him to stay away from the field since November last year. The right-arm seamer was also not considered for the first Test in Perth of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.

The Cricket Association of Bengal secretary, Naresh Ojha on Tuesday informed the fast bowler's return.

"In a major boost to Indian cricket and the Bengal Ranji Trophy team, star pacer Mohammad Shami will make a comeback into competitive cricket for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Indore starting on Wednesday," Naresh Ojha said in an official statement.

"Shami, who has been out of competitive action since India's ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad last November, will spearhead the Bengal pace bowling attack against Madhya Pradesh. Shami's inclusion in the Bengal team will not just be a big boost but also lift the morale of the entire team, which aims to make it to the next round of the Ranji Trophy," the statement added.

Bengal are currently in the fifth spot in the points table with 8 points from 4 games. They bagged bagged three crucial points from their last match against Karnataka.

With his return to domestic cricket, Shami will be eyeing a comeback to the Indian Cricket Team ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy and also in franchise cricket, Indian Premier League in 2025.

Bengal squad: Anustup Majumdar , Wriddhiman Saha , Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Ishan Porel, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Kaif, Rohit Kumar, Rishav Vivek, Mohammed Shami.

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