Duleep Trophy: Mohammed Shami toils hard on return; East Zone keep North Zone in check at 308/6 | Cricket News
East Zone restricted North Zone to 308 for six on day one of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals in Bengaluru on Thursday, with Mohammed Shami making his first First-Class appearance since November 2024 and young spinner Manishi delivering key strikes. Middle-order batter Ayush Badoni scored a quick 63 off 60 balls on a favorable pitch.Shami, who missed the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England due to concerns about his ability to handle long spells, showed steady improvement throughout the day. His initial spells lacked sharpness as he adjusted to long-format cricket.The veteran pacer’s first morning spell read 5-2-10-0, followed by a second spell of 3-0-10-0. North Zone openers Ankit Kumar and Shubham Khajuria handled these spells comfortably.Shami found better rhythm in his post-lunch spell of 4-2-9-0, testing batters outside the off-stump with occasional in-dippers that troubled Badoni and Nishant Sindhu.A missed opportunity came during Shami’s fourth spell when Kumar Kushagra dropped Kanhaiya Wadhawan at long-on. However, Shami soon claimed his first wicket when Sahil Lotra edged behind.The 34-year-old pacer completed 17 overs with figures of 1/55, demonstrating his ability to manage multiple spells without significant discomfort.Ayush Badoni impressed with his aggressive batting style, particularly his drives. Fresh from a successful Delhi Premier League campaign, he adapted well to red-ball cricket before falling to pacer Mukhtar Hussain while attempting a pull shot.Several North Zone batters made promising starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores. Khajuria scored 26, Ankit made 30, Yash Dhull contributed 39, and Nishant added 47.The day saw a brief concern when India pacer Mukesh Kumar left the field for nine overs between sessions to address a hamstring issue. He returned during the middle session.North Zone scored briskly in the first phase, reaching 139 in 34 overs despite losing three wickets. All three dismissals came from 21-year-old Jamshedpur spinner Manishi, who capitalized on the batters’ mistakes.
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What did you think of Mohammed Shami’s performance on his return to First-Class cricket?
The match’s opening day highlighted East Zone’s bowling effort, particularly from young spinner Manishi, while also marking Shami’s return to long-format cricket ahead of the upcoming home Test series against West Indies.North Zone batters maintained a good scoring rate throughout the day after East Zone chose to bowl first, though they couldn’t convert their starts into bigger scores.The pitch played true, offering little assistance to the bowlers, but East Zone’s disciplined bowling, particularly from Manishi and Shami’s improving spells, kept North Zone in check.
