ENG vs IND 2018: Watched Videotapes Of James Anderson And Stuart Broad’s Bowling: Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami, on Monday, revealed he watched videos of England pacers Stuart Broad and James Anderson in order to improve his bowling in England. Shami has taken 16 wickets in five Tests of the England vs India series.

Just a few months ago, Shami had faced criticism for his wayward show in South Africa. While other pacers made merry in favourable conditions, Shami’s inconsistency did not let him make a big impact. Family issues, poor show in the IPL, failing the yo yo test further made things worse for him.

However, the right-arm pacer overcame all the troubles to put up a great show in England. His ability to bowl well with both new ball as well as old ball has impressed one and all. In a series where the Indian bowling lineup performed remarkably well, Shami performed brilliantly throughout. 16 wickets in five games are the reward for it.

And Shami has now revealed what helped him do well this time around after performing miserably in 2014.

He revealed that he learnt the tricks of bowling in England by watching videos of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

“If you compare my performances on this tour with those in 2014, I have improved a lot. Overall, all of us have done well. I’ve learnt a lot, especially how to bowl away from home, how focused you need to be,” Shami said at the press-conference.

“I’ve got to learn a lot. In 2014 when I came here, I wasn’t that experienced. I wasn’t mature either. This time, I watched videotapes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s bowling. I saw what areas they bowled in, in these conditions. I’ve got to learn a lot,” he added.

The last time Shami had visited England, he had taken only 5 wickets in three games before being dropped.

He impressed in the ongoing fifth Test too but did not get much reward. Despite bowling his heart out, the luck evaded him throughout as he finished the game with just 2 wickets.

He went wicket-less (0/72) in the first innings despite beating Moeen Ali innumerable times and took 2-110 in the second innings. And he was quick to point out that luck was not on his side.

“Some things depend on luck too. When you bowl, your target is to bowl a good line and length. Whether you get a wicket or not depends on luck. Of course it is frustrating that I beat the bat many times and still didn’t get a wicket. But it’s okay. Whatever God gives me, I have to accept,” Shami said.

Asked to put his overall performances in context, he said,

“The saddest time is when as a bowler you work hard and don’t succeed. The saddest time will be the first innings yesterday. I’ve never beaten the bat so many times in my life.

“When it comes to fun, all of our players like to joke around with each other. We have fun all the time. When you’re on the field, you have to be serious. But off the field, to pass the time or ease the pressure, you need fun and music. We have both in our camp,” he added.