Mohammed Shami Prioritizes CT and IPL 2025 Over BGT 2024-25 Comeback

Mohammed Shami may decide to skip the series even though he has been given a long-awaited return to Team India for the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Following a horrific ankle injury, the seam bowling sensation recently returned to competitive cricket. After his Ranji Trophy comeback, Shami played nine T20 matches against Syed Mushtaq Ali, but he "feels" that he is not yet prepared to handle the demands of red-ball cricket.

A BCCI source claims that Shami may decide to save himself for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL) season that follows, in which he was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 10 crore. The third Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start on Saturday, December 14 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Previous events suggested that Shami would be making a comeback to international cricket following the series' fourth Test. However, it appears that his trip has been cancelled.

Mohammed Shami's future plans revealed:

PTI quoted a BCCI source saying, "The swelling seems to come and go. He himself is keen on playing more and more domestic cricket and hence the possibility of him once again playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bengal (starting December 21) looks imminent at the moment. He can then bowl at least three spells and 10 overs per game. Shami is at the business end of his career. What if his knee acts up badly in Australia after a long spell? He will have to field on hard grounds. He missed the last IPL due to ankle surgery. This time, he has a hefty Rs 10 crore deal with SRH. You can't blame him if he wants to preserve himself for white ball format for now."

When the 34-year-old last appeared, he performed admirably at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). In nine games, Shami took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.85 and an average of 25.36. Shami is likely the greatest judge of himself and can therefore assess if he can make a comeback in Australia, even though the team may need him back in red-ball cricket. The 2023 World Cup final vs Australia in Ahmedabad was Shami's final international cricket match.

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