Mohammad Shami has impressed with the ball for Bengal in ongoing SMAT 2024.
Mohammad Shami is yet to receive fitness clearance from the NCA medical staff as per reports and is unlikely to fly to Australia anytime soon.
The Sports Science wing of the BCCI's Bengaluru-based Centre of Excellence is yet to give a clear report to the BCCI. According to Cricbuzz, on December 1, an NCA team flew to Rajkot, where he was playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), to monitor his development.
The Shami team included a national selector (SS Das), the head of the BCCI's Sports Science wing (Nitin Patel), and a Strength and Conditioning trainer (Nishant Bardule).
Shami represented Bengal in the National T20 competition, taking eight wickets in seven games. More importantly, the 34-year-old pacer, who returned from a year-long injury absence, is claimed to have made a big impact with his bowling efforts.
However, his fitness and ability to withstand the grueling workload of a Test match were under scanner.
According to sources, Shami is unlikely to fly to Australia immediately, despite his absence from the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024) series. The veteran pacer may be present for the final Test in Sydney, with the best-case scenario being his availability for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG on December 26.
However, insiders warn that this is an unrealistic expectation, and it would not be shocking if he is not sent to Australia at all.
(Cricbuzz inputs)