Hunting In Pairs: High Quality Bowling By India's Shami-Bumrah

Cricket-crazy Indian fans have long enjoyed opposition fast bowling attacks that hunt in pairs -- Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, Wasim Akram with Waqar Younis and most recently Stuart Broad and James

Cricket World Cup 2023 (Image Source: Google)

Shami kept up the charge in his comeback spell when  he sent back Moeen Ali caught behind on a angled ball from around the wicket to the left-hander as England slipped to 81-6 in their chase of 230.

Shami took one more and Bumrah completed the England rout with his trademark yorker that rattled the stumps of number 11 Mark Wood to trigger celebrations.

India bowling coach Paras Mambhrey said the pair set the tone for other bowlers to make an impact on a ground where evening dew makes it tought for bowlers to grip a wet ball.

"In a game where we were placed defending a small target, the conditions were not easy, the dew was out there, the wicket got flatter," Mambhrey told reporters.

"Wickets especially in the powerplay were important but simply the way they bowled and came back picked up those wickets laid the foundation for us. From there the other bowlers could build on. A fabulous spell from both of them."

Bumrah, a yorker specialist with an unorthodox slingshot action, was sidelined for almost a year with a back injury before he returned in August and has now bagged 14 wickets six World Cup matches.

Shami was kept out for India's first four matches in a "horses for courses" policy but has come back with match-figures of 5-54 against New Zealand and 4-22 in two World Cup outings after an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya gave him a route back into the starting eleven.

"I think the decision the management took was looking at the right combination on that wicket and earlier also Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin) missed out, Shami missed out," said Mhambrey.

"It is very difficult to take such a call but in the team's interest you have to take a call. That's the communication with the individual player has been, he knows that."

The 33-year-old Shami, a veteran of 96 ODIs, now has 23 wickets in his last six World Cup games since the 2019 edition.