Mohammed Shami had bowled only 11 overs in the second innings on Saturday. On the final day of the Duleep Trophy quarter-final game between North Zone and East Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru, he didn’t bowl at all.
The reason for Shami not bowling a single over on Sunday was not just due to the flatness of the pitch and the match situation with East Zone having practically no chance of winning the contest, but also because of some discomfort in his toes.
“Shami didn’t bowl today (Sunday) as his toes were a little bruised. So, as a precautionary measure, he stayed away from bowling. Not that he’s down with any major injury once again,” an East Zone team member said.
North Zone’s lead had already swelled to 563 when play resumed on Sunday, and it barely made any sense for Shami to continue bowling given the situation and the conditions. However, there’s no clarity yet over whether Shami will be seen playing in this season’s Ranji Trophy, beginning on October 15.
The Bengal team management, too, has no idea. So, when does Shami feature next in a red-ball game? That certainly is a tough question.
Overnight North Zone batter Ayush Badoni, though, had some fun, remaining not out on 204, propelling his team’s second-innnings total to 658/4 before the customary handshake. North Zone will face South Zone in the semi-finals from September 4, with Central taking on West in the other game.
South, as expected, will not be able to avail the services of Tilak Varma, who was originally named as captain. With Tilak a part of the Asia Cup-bound squad, South will be led by Kerala batsman Mohammed Azharuddeen.
Summarised scores
- North Zone 405 & 658/4 decl. (Ayush Badoni 204 n.o.). East Zone 230
- Central Zone 532/4 decl. & 331/7 decl. North East Zone 185 & 200/6
Matches drawn
Written with PTI inputs
