Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

On This Day (Sep. 03): Happy B’day, Mohammed Shami – When the Birthday Boy Lit up the 2023 World Cup

Shami has soared to the top of the wicket charts at the 2023 World Cup in just seven matches

Born on September 3, 1990, Mohammed Shami is one of India's fastest right-arm pacers. He made his international debut against Pakistan in January 2013 and took no time to make his presence feel against the best of international batters. The birthday boy has always been a crucial cog in India’s World Cup campaigns. In the 2015 World Cup, Shami was India's second-best bowler, claiming 17 wickets in seven matches. His 2019 World Cup performance was even more impressive, as he became the second-highest wicket-taker for India again with 14 wickets in just four games.

While India entered the 2023 World Cup as favourites but faced a brutal defeat at the hands of Australia in the final, the veteran pacer broke several records in the tournament. Surprisingly, the World Cup's top wicket-taker, Shami, was benched for the first four matches. But after an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Shami made a stunning comeback, immediately making his mark. As Shami turns 34 today, we celebrate his birthday by revisiting his remarkable 2023 World Cup records.

Fastest to 50 World Cup wickets

Shami was a standout performer in the ODI World Cup since his debut in 2015. In 2023, he set a remarkable record by becoming the fastest bowler to reach 50 ODI World Cup wickets in just 17 matches. Shami achieved this milestone when Kane Williamson flicked a full delivery into the hands of Suryakumar Yadav at deep square leg in the semifinal against New Zealand. This broke Mitchell Starc's previous record, who took 19 matches to reach the same feat during Australia's World Cup opener against India in Chennai in the same edition.

Four five-wicket hauls

No bowler had ever taken four five-wicket hauls in ODI World Cup history until Mohammed Shami broke that record. His first five-wicket haul came against England in the 2019 World Cup in Birmingham, and he added three more in the 2023 edition. Previously, Mitchell Starc was the first to achieve three five-wicket hauls across two tournaments. Shami's achievement also marks the first time a bowler has picked up three five-fers in a single World Cup edition. Six other bowlers have managed two five-fers in a single World Cup edition, including Gary Gilmour, Asantha de Mel, Vasbert Drakes, Shahid Afridi, Starc, and Mustafizur Rahman.

Shami surpassed Zaheer Khan

Shami soared to the top of the wicket charts at the 2023 World Cup in just seven matches. Shami was unstoppable, with 24 wickets at an incredible average of 10.71 and a strike rate of just 12.20 deliveries. He holds the record for the most wickets by an Indian in a single World Cup edition, surpassing Zaheer Khan's 21 wickets from the 2011 campaign. No other Indian has crossed 18 wickets in one World Cup.

First Indian to claim five five-wicket hauls in ODIs

The Bengal speedster became the first Indian bowler to claim five five-wicket hauls in ODIs. No other Indian has achieved even four; Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath have three each. Remarkably, Shami had only one five-for in ODIs. After taking 5/51 against Australia in Mohali at the Bilateral series in 2023, he added three more in the 2023 World Cup, rewriting history.

Best ODI bowling figures by an Indian

Shami's incredible 7/57 against New Zealand in the semifinal of the 2023 World Cup set a new record for the best bowling figure by an Indian in ODIs. It was the first time an Indian bowler took seven wickets in a white-ball international match. Shami broke Stuart Binny's record of 6/4 in 2014 in Mirpur when India bowled Bangladesh out for just 58 while defending 105 in challenging conditions.