Out-of-favour Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif have been summoned to appear for a Special Intensive Review (SIR) hearing before the Bengal Election Commission.
Mohammed Shami is currently going through the worst phase of his life. Despite his stellar domestic performances since the Ranji Trophy, the Bengal fast bowler has repeatedly missed out on a comeback into Team India. The fast bowler performed remarkably in the Ranji Trophy and took several wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
He continued his great form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he has already taken 11 wickets in 5 matches and bowled his full spells, yet the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee overlooked him for the New Zealand ODIs. Amidst all this, Shami now has to attend the hearing related to the ongoing SIR scrutiny in Bengal.
Mohammed Shami called for SIR hearing in Bengal
Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif have been served notices to appear for a special intensive review hearing before the Election Commission in Bengal. SIR is a process of voter verification initiated by the Government of India to ensure that all valid voters have the right to vote in a province, while also excluding ineligible voters from the list.
Shami and his brother are voters under Kolkata Municipal Corporation ward no. 93, which comes under Rash Behari assembly constituency. He was issued an official notice from Kartju Nagar School, Jadavpur.
According to NDTV, Shami did not fill the calculation form given to him properly, due to which this summons has been issued. He could not attend the hearing on Monday due to his commitments with the Bengal cricket team in Rajkot and hence, the hearing has been rescheduled between January 9 and 11.
Mohammed Shami moved to Bengal in the early days of his career
Talking about Mohammed Shami, he is originally from Uttar Pradesh but due to his cricket career, he moved to Kolkata for almost a decade. Who did not get opportunities in UP, he reached Bengal at a very young age on the advice of his coach.
As a fast bowler, he caught the attention of Sambaran Banerjee and earned a place in the Bengal under-22 team for the first time, marking the beginning of his career in senior cricket. He also played in Bengal’s local Mohun Bagan Cricket Cup.
However, Mohammed Shami has been troubled by lawsuits in his career. He has faced regular trouble since the divorce case filed by his estranged wife and is often asked to appear for hearings on disputes related to alimony. Now, the legal SIR trouble lands him in yet another trouble.
Mohammed Shami’s extraordinary international career for India
Shami has not only been an exceptional fast bowler for India, but he has also been one of the best bowlers India has ever had when it comes to ICC tournaments. Shami, who has not played much for India in the shortest format of the game, has been India’s shining star in the 50-over format.
He is the leading wicket-taker for India in ICC ODI events and the leading wicket-taker for India in the World Cup, and he has done all this while playing the least number of games among all his competitors on that list.
After playing 64 Tests for India, Mohammed Shami has taken 229 wickets with the red ball and holds the record for the second fastest 200 ODI wickets in international cricket. In 108 matches for India, he has added 206 wickets in the 50-over format and 27 wickets in T20Is to his white-ball wicket tally.
Also Read: Revealed: Why Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma rejected BCCI’s order to play Vijay Hazare Trophy before New Zealand ODI