Shami ended the World Cup as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps despite not playing the entire tournament.Warming the bench for India’s first four league matches, it was only Hardik Pandya’s unfortunate ankle injury that brought Shami into picture, after which he didn’t look back.Shami took three five-wicket hauls in seven matches and became the fastest to complete 50 wickets in ODI World Cups. However, he would be disappointed for not being able to continue that form in the final, where India lost to Australia by six wickets in Ahmedabad.
Besides that heartbreak, what disappointed Shami during the course of the tournament was some of the comments made by former Pakistan players, but he chiefly referred to ex-batter Hasan Raza‘s theory of ‘Indian bowlers being provided a different ball’.
“I wasn’t playing at the start of the World Cup. When I did, I took five wickets, then four in the next match, then five again. Kuchh Pakistan players ko yeh baat hajam nahi ho rahi thi, mai kya karu (some of the Pakistan players couldn’t digest it, so what can I do),” Shami said in a clip from his interview to a sportswear brand.
“Mujhe to kabhi jalan hoti nahi. You can become a better player if you learn to enjoy the success of others as well,” he added.
Shami said that some of the Pakistan players feel there can’t be anyone better than them, which is why they went to make those comments, and it only backfired on them.
“What they have in their mind is that ‘we are the best’. Best woh hota hai jo time pe perform kare (one who performs when needed is the best)…But you are continuing to create controversy out of it, that they (Indian bowlers) are getting a different colour ball, different company ball.
“Sudhar jao yaar (start behaving),” the 33-year-old Indian pacer added.
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Interestingly, Pakistan’s fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram had also expressed his displeasure on Raza’s comments and even explained the process of how the ball is selected by the umpires in consultation with both the teams.
“Wasim (Akram) bhai had explained the same thing in an interview, that how the process of selecting a ball happens,” said Shami.
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“I can still understand if it’s not a player (who is making such comments)….But you are an ex-player. I don’t think people can react in any other way than laugh about such things,” the Indian pacer added.
“I accept that I can be a bit bitter with my words, but aisi cheez pe to bolna padega (but have to call out such things).”