Fast bowler Mohammed Shami retires from Test cricket

Veteran Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has retired from Test cricket. Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket late at night through an emotional message on social media. Shami said, "Test cricket has been more than just a format of the game for me; it has been an extremely special part of my life." The 36-year-old Shami began his Test career in November 2013. He demonstrated his skills by targeting wickets with his bowling and through his excellent seam. In a match against the West Indies, he took 9 wickets for 118 runs. This was also his best performance in Test cricket.

Shami played his last Test match for India at the Oval during the tour of England in June 2023. He has 229 wickets in 64 matches in this format. He came very close to becoming one of the top five wicket-takers among fast bowlers for India. However, during this period, he continued to play for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. In the last season alone, he took 37 wickets in 7 Ranji matches. He was the second-highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers in that season.

In a video posted on social media on the anniversary of his Test debut, Shami said that in this 13-year journey, that cap and that ball have made me Mohammed Shami. There were many ups and downs during this time; I fell, I got injured, and I was wounded. But for this badge, I stood up again. This 13-year journey has been very good. I want to thank my coach, trainer, physio, editing team, and all those people who contributed in some way or another. Especially the fans. The name that cricket fans built and the encouragement they gave to that name will always be remembered. Thank you very much to all of you and all those fans who loved cricket so much and took that name this far. I received my Test cap on November 6, and today is also November 6. So let us end this 13-year journey here. I made my debut today and I am retiring today. I am leaving it, but I will continue to play the white ball game, whether it is the IPL or domestic cricket. And if fitness requires it, I will also continue to play long-format cricket, but I am saying goodbye to international Test cricket. So this is the journey so far. I started it today and I am ending it today. Shami's last red ball match for India was the first World Test Championship final in 2023. There were many memorable moments in his career, and interestingly, despite being a seamer, most of those moments came on home grounds, even though the pitches there were not considered conducive to his bowling style. Another special thing about him was that he appeared much more aggressive in the second innings compared to the first. The reason for both these things could be his bowling style. He focused so much on targeting the stumps that during India's 4-0 Test series victory over England in 2016, he broke Alastair Cook's stumps into two pieces. Almost 45 percent of the total wickets he took were through bowled or LBW.

Sami's bowling average was 27.71 and his strike rate 50.2. In India his average was 22.1 and he took a wicket every 42.6 balls. Overall, only four bowlers in India have a better strike rate than him. Since the final of the Champions Trophy in March 2025, Sami has not played any form of cricket for India. Fast bowlers often face physical injuries and issues, and for this reason the team management began to consider other alternative players besides him.

Sami wrote at the end of his message in an emotional tone that, although he has finished his last test ball on the field, the pride of playing for India will always live in his heart. Thank you, Test cricket.