Mohammed Shami was always threatening with the half-volley length: Mark Waugh

Former Australia cricketer Mark Waugh has weighed in on Mohammed Shami’s performance in the first of the three ODIs against Australia in Mohali on September 22. Shami bagged a career-best Player-of-the-Match 5/51 to contribute heavily to India’s five-wicket triumph, helping the team go 1-0 up.

Shami showed his trademark rhythm and discipline - bowling with an upright seam on a two-paced track that offered some seam movement - right from the onset, battling the enervating heat and humidity in Mohali. He perfectly set up Mitchell Marsh, sending him back in the first over when Shubman Gill grabbed him in the slips after India inserted Australia. Shami angled the ball into the makeshift opener, but it shaped away ever so slightly after pitching to kiss the outside of his bat.  

Shami was also responsible for removing a well-set Steve Smith when he was threatening to take the game away from India despite their sharp start with the ball. It was arguably the best of all of his five dismissals, with his nip-backer leading to Smith's undoing as the batter inside-edged the ball back to his stumps to perish for 41 off 60.

Shami then struck thrice in the death overs in quick succession to ensure Australia could not reach closer to the 300-run mark, which was seemingly in sight during Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis’ quickfire 43-ball 62-run sixth-wicket alliance. He struck Stoinis' timber to send him back for 29 before Matthew Short holed out off him at deep midwicket. Shami capped off his fifer when Sean Abbott chopped on a slower one from him onto the stumps.

“He hit the perfect length and that’s where he got the batsmen caught at the crease. So not too short or not too full. Just the perfect length where you get a little bit of movement. You’re going to hit the stumps still, but the batsmen can’t get a four. Shami was always threatening with that half-volley length. It’s a fine margin, but on this type of track, you need to be spot on," Waugh said on JioCinema’s ‘Match Centre Live’.

'Interesting match-up' - Abhishek Nayar on Siraj vs Shami debate

Waugh's co-panellist Abhishek Nayar spoke about whether India will be able to accommodate both Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the same XI. If Siraj's menacing six-for against Sri Lanka in the titular Asia Cup battle pushed his case for being the second pacer alongside Bumrah in India's first-choice XI, Shami has thrown his hat into the ring with his Mohali heroics.

“It’s going to be an interesting match-up between the two. There’s going to be this thought process of picking wickets. You got to know the importance of picking wickets in today’s game because India managed to bowl out a strong Australian batting line-up where you’ve got Sean Abbott batting at No 10. So, it just tells you that when you have bowlers capable of picking up wickets, there may very well be a toss-up between a Shardul Thakur where you are thinking whether or not you are thinking of going with that all-rounder’s slot or going with an out-and-out bowler who can pick you wickets in every phase of the game," Nayar said.

India will play Australia in the second ODI at Indore's Holkar Stadium on September 24 before the final game in Rajkot on September 27.