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The out-of-favour India National Cricket Team pace bowler Mohammed Shami is to receive a special ball signed by former India captain and CAB president Sourav Ganguly, and some other mementos when he marks his appearance in the final of the upcoming 2026 Duleep Trophy.
Mohammed Shami is only one match away from completing his 100th First-Class match, which he will complete on Sunday, September 6, in Chennai, when East Zone and South Zone will lock horns in the final match of the tournament.
Mohammed Shami is only one match away from playing his 100th First-Class match
Shami has been out of the selection for the India National Cricket Team for a long time now, but he continues to showcase his class across the domestic tournaments. The pacer concluded his 2025-26 domestic season with the Bengal cricket team in fine form, and he carries the same form for the East Zone cricket team in the Duleep Trophy 2026.
In the semi-final against Central Zone, the 36-year-old took 5 wickets in total; 2 wickets in the first innings and three more in the second, to help the team to confirm a smooth win over the opposition team.
The persistence of the veteran pacer is expected to play a major role in the final match as well. In the title-decider clash, East Zone will have to face a strong batting line-up of South Zone, which will have the in-form Devdutt Padikkal, the player of the series in the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka, and probably KL Rahul as well, who also performed well as an opener in Sri Lanka. The contest between Padikkal and Mohammed Shami will be interesting to watch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Ahead of the high-profile match, Sporstar on September 4 reported that CAB will felicitate the star bowler on his 100th first-class appearance. The Bengal cricket governing board treasurer Sanjay Das will present Shami with the specially signed ball by Sourav Ganguly.
"On this special occasion, we want to felicitate him and acknowledge his contribution to Bengal cricket," Sanjay Das informed the media house.
Mohammed Shami's domestic cricket career
So far, Mohammed Shami has picked 382 wickets, including 15 five-wicket hauls in his 99 FC matches, including the five-wicket haul for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 semifinals.
In other domestic formats, the bowler has claimed 283 wickets in 149 List A matches and 238 wickets in 196 T20 games. Overall, the Bengal pacer has 900 wickets under his belt. He will be only the sixth Indian bowler to play 100 First-Class matches.
Mohammed Shami to join a list of elite cricketers
Indian cricket legend Anil Kumble played 234 matches in First-Class cricket, which remains the highest among Indian bowlers. Former India captain Kapil Dev is second in the list with 184 matches, followed by Javagal Srinath with 161 FC appearances, Harbhajan Singh with 147 matches, and Zaheer Khan with134 matches.
Top Indian bowlers with most First-Class matches:
Anil Kumble: 234 matches, 619 wickets
Kapil Dev: 184 matches, 434 Test wickets
Javagal Srinath: 161 matches
Harbhajan Singh: 147 matches, 417 Test wickets
Zaheer Khan: 134 matches
