India versus New Zealand | Mohammed Shami: ‘This one chance we didn’t want to let go’ | Cricket-world-cup News

The bend would have made David Beckham, watching from the grandstand, proud.When it left Mohammed Shami’s hand, the ball began on a trajectory just outside the off-stump. Then, without any warning, it suddenly started to dip in. Tom Latham, who had been on the pitch just for two minutes, was beaten. The ball crashed into the batsman’s pad. No one, not even the batsman, waited for the umpire to raise his finger.
The wicket brought the stadium, gripped anxiety, back to life, ended any hope of a New Zealand fightback, and put India on course for what eventually was a comprehensive 70-run win in the semi-final of the World Cup. They will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and South Africa in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.

Shami ended with seven wickets and a bunch of records. Like Virat Kohli, who became the first Indian to score 50 ODI centuries earlier in the day, the bowler who snuck into the playing 11 as an injury replacement, too, became the first Indian bowler to take 50 World Cup wickets and the half-century came in just 17 innings, quickest in the tournament’s hory. His eventual figures of 7/57 are the best an Indian at a World Cup.
Follow all the action from the Cricket World Cup 2023 on our special World Cup section. You can also find the latest stats, like the top scorer and the highest wicket-taker of the current edition, upcoming World Cup fixtures and the points table on the site.
Prime Miner Narendra Modi took to X to praise India’s semi-final hero. “The bowling of @MdShami11 in this game and also through the World Cup will be cherished cricket lovers for generations to come. Well played Shami.”
However, there was a moment in the game when Shami and his team mates were not sure if they would be on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight for the final. Like the 30,000-odd fans in the stands, including Bollywood A-lers, the pacer too began to fear if India would exit at the semi-final stage of the World Cup for a third consecutive time.
“Last two World Cups, we lost (in the semi-finals),” Shami said. “Who knows when or if we’ll get a chance? So, we wanted to do everything for this, one chance we didn’t want to let go.”
Cricket – ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – Semi-Final – India v New Zealand – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India – November 15, 2023 India’s Mohammed Shami celebrates with Rohit Sharma after taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson to win the match and advance to the finals REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
With this thought in mind, out of sheer desperation to break a threatening partnership more than anything else, captain Rohit Sharma turned to his crisis man in what was his side’s first real test of this World Cup.
It was the 33rd over of the game. New Zealand, a team that routinely punches above its weight, were doing what New Zealand is known to do – in a modest, understated manner, they were chasing down a mammoth target of 398, pushing another heavyweight to the ropes.
After losing two early wickets – both taken , who else, Shami – Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson rapidly brought the Kiwis back into the game.
India, in the face of this unprecedented onslaught, were quickly unravelling. Their bowlers, who have gained in reputation over the last six weeks, suddenly looked like they’d lost all their super powers overnight.
The fielders, spotless so far, were sloppy, to put it mildly. Rohit was giving Ravindra Jadeja a tongue-lashing for an unnecessary overthrow, which cost an additional four runs. Later, the captain himself looked around sheepishly when he let the ball slip through his hands. K L Rahul had a chance to run out Williamson, but he took off the bails before the ball hit the stumps, giving the batsman a lifeline. The New Zealand captain had another life when he was on 52 after Shami dropped a sitter.
Mitchell and Williamson had stunned the crowd into silence. The dropped catches and missed run-outs only added to the frustration. Had India run out of luck? Was the law of averages catching up with the tournament’s only unbeaten team?
Team India normally feeds off the crowd, and vice versa. Tonight, both were left scratching their heads as New Zealand brought the run chase down to T20 levels: 199 off the last 20 overs with 8 wickets in hand.
“At that point, it was important for us to stay calm,” Rohit said later. “The crowd went silent, but we knew we needed a catch or run out.”
With the ball in Shami’s hand, there was a sense of hope. And with the second ball of his second spell, the ace bowler struck, removing Williamson first and two balls later, Latham with a brilliant in-swinger.Most Read
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The twin strikes dealt a massive blow to New Zealand’s hopes of pulling off an improbable win.
They kept losing wickets at regular intervals after that and with the chants of ‘Mohammad Shami’ reverberating inside the seaside stadium, India’s best bowler of the World Cup delivered the final blow.
Bowling to tailender Lockie Ferguson, who had just hit him for a six, Shami pitched the ball a little short of length and outside the off stump. It kissed Ferguson’s bat and Rahul safely pocketed the catch to put the result beyond any doubt.