365 days ago, Mohammed Shami was not in the fray to make it to the World Cup. Plus, he had a lot of personal issues to deal with and hence, the likes of Deepak Chahar or Khaleel Ahmed had a better chance of getting the ticket to England as the third seamer.
Cut to 22nd June 2019, Mohammed Shami bowled a mind-boggling last over to deny Mohammed Nabi and the Afghanistan cricketers of a well-deserved victory against tournament favorites India. The situation in which Shami achieved the hattrick was simply incredible.
The Bengal pacer had gone for a few runs in his previous overs but he was trusted to defend 16 runs off the last over by Virat Kohli. Mohammed Nabi was looking in ominous touch and an easy effort by the Afghan all-rounder to launch Shami’s first ball for a boundary increased the heart-rate of the Indian supporters. It is at this point that Mohammed Shami narrated what happened on the field.
“The plan was simple. To bowl a yorker and even Mahi bhai suggested that. He said, ‘Don’t change anything now as you have a great chance of getting a hat-trick. It’s a rare opportunity and you need to do the same thing. So I did what exactly I was told. ”
MS Dhoni was at it again as he yet again made sure his off-day with the bat was compensated with his invaluable experience on the field. After the first ball, no one would have believed that three balls later, Mohammed Shami would become the 2nd Indian to take a World Cup hattrick.
Just before a Hat Trick #Dhoni @msdhoni ? pic.twitter.com/noClbmcScm
— Pavithra Varadharaj (@PavithraVaradh3) June 22, 2019
MS Dhoni did predict the incident and that is exactly why he is considered as one of the best cricketing minds in the game. Despite his experience, Shami would have still been under pressure to bowl an effective ball in the next delivery.
Obviously, a number of ideas about the next ball would have been running in his mind. A yorker would have definitely been one of them.
After MS Dhoni’s reassurance of his plan, Shami had all the more confidence to execute his idea. And a few balls later, when Mujeeb saw the stumps dismantle behind him, Shami had started celebrating his unique achievement.
