Mohammed Shami Retires From Test Cricket With 229 Wickets in 64 Tests, Will Keep Playing White-Ball Cricket
The 36-year-old pacer, who debuted at Eden Gardens in 2013 and last played a Test in the 2023 WTC final, announced his decision on Instagram.
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami has called time on his Test career. The 36-year-old shared the news on Friday, 6 November, in a heartfelt Instagram post written in Hindi, thanking his teammates, coaches, family, the BCCI, the Cricket Association of Bengal and India’s fans for backing him through good times and bad.
In the post, Shami said pulling on the Test whites for the first time had been a dream come true, and that every wicket, injury and comeback had taught him something. He wrote that he was leaving the white jersey behind but not the memories that came with it.
His Test career in numbers
- Debut: against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in November 2013
- Matches: 64
- Wickets: 229 at an average of 27.71
- Five-wicket hauls: 6; best figures 6/56
- Last Test: the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023
With his ability to hit the seam at pace and produce reverse swing, Shami became one of India’s most reliable fast bowlers, especially away from home, and was part of the attack that took India to the 2021 and 2023 WTC finals.
Not done with India yet
The retirement applies only to Tests. Shami has said he wants to carry on in limited-overs cricket. His most recent international match was the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, which India won, and he will hope his experience keeps him in the frame ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Featured image: Cricket ball and wicket, Takeley — Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
Related
U19 Asia Cup: India Crush Nepal by 10 Wickets as Sehwag, Raichandani Hit Fifties; Pakistan Next
Champions League: Fenerbahçe Stun Liverpool 3-2, Valverde Rescues Real Madrid and Como Hit Lens for Nine
