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Cricket Players'Watching him bowl reminded me of Pollock and Anderson': South Africa great's big praise for Shami after 5-wicket-haul
Watching Mohammed Shami operate on Day 3 of the first Test reminded a former South Africa batter of the likes of England's James Anderson and his former team-mate Shaun Pollock.
From battling depression to emerging as one of India's top bowlers, Mohammed Shami's rise in Indian cricket has been phenomenal. The 31-year-old Indian pacer has turned a nightmare for batters across the world. With his perfect seam position and pace, Shami is the perfect embodiment of a fast bowler in today's time.
He was on the mark on Day 3 of the Centurion Test against South Africa, rocking the home team with a five-wicket-haul that bowled them out for 197. So much so that watching Shami operate reminded former South Africa batter Daryll Cullinan of the likes of England's James Anderson and his former team-mate Shaun Pollock. Hailing Shami's variations and skills, Cullinan reserved big praise for the India pacer, explaining factors that make him stand out from the rest.
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"Just watch his seam position. It is perfectly up there. Watching him bowl reminded me on Pollock and Anderson that don't seem to waste the ball. He was on strike constantly with subtle variations and seam positions. It's not as if the batters are anticipating his line and length," Cullinan said on ESPNCricinfo.
Shami finished with 5/44 to help his team attain a 130-run first innings lead, which further increased to 146 with India finishing the day on 16/1. In the process, he became the fifth Indian pace bowler after Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma to complete 200 Test wickets. Cullinan went on speaking about Shami, explaining how the fast bowler things everything through.
"It's just that control which may vary a foot wider and foot fuller. That’s what to me makes him so good. He finds that in between length which is the big key… He is constantly asking you questions. There is a thought process behind everything he does," added the former South Africa batter.