SMAT 2024: Shami's all-round heroics takes Bengal to quarter-finals

Mohammed Shami starred for Bengal with the bat and the ball in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Chandigarh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday. Bengal went through to the quarter-finals with a narrow three-run victory over Chandigarh. Apart from Shami's all-round efforts, seamer Sayan Ghosh's four-wicket haul ripped out Chandigarh's batting setup to lift Bengal to victory.

It was Shami's unbeaten quick-fire cameo at the end which propelled Bengal to a respectable 159/9 run total. He came in to bat at number 10 and straightaway opened his arms. Shami faced 17 deliveries, picked up three fours, and smoked two sixes. The 34-year-old returned with a score of 32*, his highest in the T20 format.

Bengal's 159/9 was majorly set by Karan Lal, who top-scored in the match with a 33-run knock. Bengal's total was buttressed by Writtick Chatterjee's 38 and Pradipta Pramanik's valuable 40-run contribution. In reply, Shami rattled Chandigarh's top order early as he sent Arslan Khan back to the dugout for a golden duck.

It was Raj Bawa's 32 that fuelled Chandigarh's chase, which eventually brought down the equation to 20 runs in the final two overs, with three wickets in hand. Shami returned to bowl in the death over and conceded 12 runs, which brought an end to his spell with figures of 3-0-13-1.

With eight runs needed in the final six balls, Ghosh managed to bowl two dots and take two wickets to seal a three-run victory for Bengal. As Shami continues to make waves in the domestic circuit, there is a chance he could link up with the Indian team in Australia for the ongoing Boder-Gavaskar Trophy. After India fell to a 10-wicket defeat in Adelaide, skipper Rohit Sharma, in the post-match press conference, admitted that the "door remains open" for Shami to join the BGT squad. (ANI)