'I was never scared of short balls' - Mohammed Shami recalls his staggering fifty at Lord's

Mohammed Shami is indeed one of the finest fast bowlers going around and his record across formats is nothing but phenomenal. The speedster, however, also has some batting skills up his sleeves. At times, Shami has helped the team with his crucial contributions lower down the order. He, in fact, has two half-centuries in Test matches, both coming on England soil.

Speaking of his second fifty in the format, he made James Anderson and Co work hard during the Lord’s Test last year. Coming to bat at number nine in the third innings, Shami played some delightful shots and brought his side back in the hunt. He was batting on 42 when he decided to bring up his fifty in style at the Mecca of Cricket.

He first smashed off-spinner Moeen Ali for a boundary and then followed it up with a monstrous six. He removed the helmet after getting the landmark and acknowledged the crowd. He remained unbeaten on 56 off 70 balls as India went onto win the clash by 151 runs. It must be noted that England pacers tried attacking Indian tail-enders with a bouncer barrage that day. However, that strategy backfired for the home team.

I have always enjoyed my batting: Mohammed Shami

Speaking of the same, Shami said he never gets intimated with short deliveries and in fact, enjoys the challenge. “I was never scared of the short ball as many people thought it to be. I have always enjoyed my batting and I do try to contribute as much as possible with the bat and help the team,” Shami told India.com.

“If I was scared of the short ball, I wouldn’t have scored that half-century at Lord’s. So I don’t think much about it,” he added. Meanwhile, Shami also heaped massive praises on former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri, whose tenure ended last year.

“Everybody knows about Ravi Shastri’s pep talk and he speaks just like you see him in the commentary box. There is not an iota of negativity in Ravi Shastri. His positivity rubbed on to the team and that is something that stood out for me,” the 31-year-old said further.