Watch: Mohammed Shami drops Travis Head on first ball in CT 2025 semi-final, Rohit Sharma fumes
Published - 04 Mar 2025, 02:49 PM | Updated - 04 Mar 2025, 02:59 PM
Australia's opening batter Travis Head was handed a massive reprieve by Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami during the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Travis Head got a lifeline as Mohammed Shami missed a catch off his own bowling during the high-octane encounter in Dubai.
Australia opted to bat after winning the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, March 4. Rohit Sharma fielded an unchanged playing XI for the match. Meanwhile, Australia made two changes to their playing XI, with Cooper Connolly and Tanveer Sangha included in the squad.
Travis Head Handed a Lifeline on the First Ball Off Mohammed Shami
With Matthew Short unavailable, Cooper Connolly opened the innings alongside Travis Head, who took the first strike. Mohammed Shami began the attack from around the wicket with a slip in place.
Shami started with a wide but created a chance on the very next delivery. Head closed the bat face too early against a short-of-length delivery, resulting in a leading edge that flew to Shami’s right. The veteran pacer stretched out his hand but failed to hold onto the catch, giving Head an early lifeline. India skipper Rohit Sharma looked quite furious after Shami dropped Head.
You can watch the video of the dropped catch below:
Rohit Sharma's reaction on Shami missing the opportunity gifted by Travis Head 🫣 pic.twitter.com/xECGhGAiT4
— Radha (@Rkc1511165) March 4, 2025
You Think That Mohammed Shami Has to Be Taking That - Former England Bowler
Former England bowler Alex Hartley spoke about Mohammed Shami’s dropped catch. She stated that such chances either stick or they don’t. Hartley noted that it was a catch he should have taken.
"That was a chance. It's one of those as a bowler, they either stick or they don't. It looped back to Shami as Head tried to hit into the leg-side. You think that he has to be taking that," Alex Hartley said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
Hartley also stated that the pitch was already assisting the bowlers, even before any spin had come into play.
"Already we've seen this surface give something to the bowlers and we've not even seen any spin yet," she added.
India Remain Unbeaten in the 2025 Champions Trophy
India are unbeaten in the 2025 Champions Trophy as they head into their semifinal clash against Australia. They topped Group A with three wins in three matches.
The Rohit Sharma-led team started their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh. They continued their dominance with a six-wicket win against arch-rivals Pakistan in the next game. India ended the group stage by defeating New Zealand by 44 runs in their final group-stage match.
The last time India faced Australia in a Champions Trophy match was in 2009, but the game was washed out. The two teams will be eager to win the semifinal to secure a berth in the final.
