Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull has criticised the questions raised about Mohammed Shami's fitness, contending that a bowler who repeatedly bowls long spells in match conditions should not be required to prove himself through running tests.
Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on November 7, exactly 13 years after making his debut against the West Indies at Eden Gardens. His final Test was the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia.
Ankle surgery in February 2024 and knee problems kept him out of the five-Test series in Australia, and he never again played red-ball cricket for India. He came back against England in January 2025 for the T20I and ODI series, and his last appearance for India was at the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he claimed nine wickets.
The reason for not playing Shami was consistently the same. Before the England tour in 2025, Ajit Agarkar, the former chief selector, said that Shami was not fit enough to play in five Test matches and that there were risks involved.
"You want to be in a position where you can call time yourselves. We've crossed the line a little bit too far, where the fitness levels have to be proven by a player. If he is bowling over after over in in-game situations but can't do a 5 KM run within a time, what is the use of having a fitness test in that situation?
Sometimes, we are a bit too one-dimensional with our fitness training. You can be fit without being a runner. You can be bowling fit without being a great 5 km or 10 km runner. The last thing you want is to have a guy in his mid-to-late 30s who wants to still be playing and not be able to play because he's forced away. You can have the regimented list of fitness things you have to do, but there has to be an area where, if a guy can bowl 15 to 20 overs in a day regularly, it has to be looked at,” Doull said on Sony Sports.
Shami finishes his stellar Test career with 229 wickets from 64 matches at an average of 27.71.
However, Doull was still optimistic for Mohammad Shami to make a comeback for the Indian ODI side for the 2027 World Cup. Shami was India’s highest wicket-taker in the 2023 World Cup with 24 scalps and, overall, has 55 wickets in ODI World Cups at 13.52.
"Shami's selection will first depend on his form. If India's first four pacers for the tournament are Bumrah, Siraj, Arshdeep and Prasidh, who is Shami a like-for-like replacement for? And in South Africa, could he do a job? Absolutely. He's probably not among the top three pacers now, but he would absolutely be a very good replacement," said Doull.
Shami has been named in Bengal’s squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy that begins on November 14.
