Mohammed Shami grabs five-fer with pink ball

Mohun Bagan pacer Mohammad Shami made his tryst with the pink ball a memorable one by picking up five wickets for 42 runs. His fine effort helped Bagan dismiss Bhowanipore Club for 133 runs in their first innings on the second day of the CAB Super League final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday (June 19).
Shami, who underwent knee surgery post the 2015 World Cup and returned to international cricket earlier this year, looked fit and bowled with a lot of fire. While his new-ball partner Sanjib Sanyal relied more on swing, Shami generated a lot of pace and bounce to trouble the opposition batsmen. Bagan pacers had Bhowanipore reeling at 45 for seven before they staged a partial recovery. They were finally bowled out for 153 (including 20 penalty) in 38.5 overs in reply to Mohun Bagan's first-innings total of 299.
Shami, who had left the field earlier in the day after suffering from dehydration, returned to wrap up Bhowanipore innings by rattling Geet Puri's stumps with a ball that cut in sharply.
"It's very bright and glows like radium. With red or white balls, there was some visibility problem as it took the colour of grass. Definitely I will prefer this ball, this is much better. The biggest plus point is that it swings under lights, what else (does) a bowler want," an ecstatic Shami said. "There was a bit of moisture in the afternoon so it helped initially. But under lights, there was more movement undoubtedly. It's challenging for both batsmen and bowlers."
There were some concerns with reverse swing as the bowlers on the first day complained that both the sides of the ball remained shiny, but Shami disagreed. "The ball retains its colour and shine. If we can maintain the dryness, I'm sure it will reverse. It did, I noticed."