India's seasoned seamer Mohammed Shami registered an unwanted record during the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
Shami, who is the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the ongoing marquee event, struggled to contain the Kiwis despite his flawless seam position and threatening length. He boasted a sole wicket, bowled nine overs and conceded a staggering 74 runs. With his expensive display, Shami became the player to concede the second-highest runs in an innings for India in a Champions Trophy game. Umesh Yadav's 2/75 against South Africa in Cardiff in 2013 only bettered his expensive figures. Overall, former Pakistan speedster Wahab Riaz has conceded the most runs in a single inning by a player in the history of the tournament. He went wicketless and gave away a whopping 87 runs in 8.4 overs against India in Birmingham in 2017. Shami's run in the tournament concluded with nice scalps in five matches, averaging 25.88. India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy matched his tally, scything nine wickets in three matches at a mere average of 15.11. Overall, India's speedsters' performance in the first innings was a sign of worry for skipper Rohit Sharma. Shami and Hardik Pandya, India's established pace duo, combined to give away 104 in 12 overs at an economy rate of 8.67. While pacers were a no-show for India, the spin quartet, comprising Chakravarthy (2/45), Kuldeep Yadav (2/40), Axar Patel (0/29), and Ravindra Jadeja (1/30), spearheaded the attack and combined to take five wickets. They conceded just 144 runs in 38 overs at an economy rate of 3.79. Their impressive performance left New Zealand tottering hard to gain momentum. (ANI) Daryl Mitchell's composed 63 (101) and Michael Bracewell's explosive 53* helped New Zealand recover from a top-order collapse, eventually reaching 251/7. (ANI)
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