Reports: Mohammed Shami to prioritise Champions Trophy, IPL 2025 over Border-Gavaskar Trophy return

A BCCI source suggests that Mohammed Shami might prioritize Champions Trophy 2025 and IPL 2025 over the Border-Gavaskar trophy for his return. The seam bowling sensation recently made a comeback to competitive cricket after a devastating ankle injury.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy continues with the third Test to commence at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday, December 14. Earlier developments indicated that Shami might be returning to international cricket from the fourth Test of the series. But it seems his travel plan has been derailed.

The 34-year-old was last seen in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) where he delivered some decent performances. Shami picked up 11 wickets in nine matches at an average of 25.36 and an economy rate of 7.85.

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"The swelling seems to come and go. He himself is keen on playing more and more domestic cricket and hence the possibility of him once again playing Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bengal (starting December 21) looks imminent at the moment. He can then bowl at least three spells and 10 overs per game," said the source as quoted by NDTV Sports.

“Shami is at the business end of his career. What if his knee acts up badly in Australia after a long spell? He will have to field on hard grounds. He missed the last IPL due to ankle surgery. This time, he has a hefty Rs 10 crore deal with SRH. You can't blame him if he wants to preserve himself for white ball format for now," the source added.

Though the team might need Shami back in red-ball cricket, he is probably the best judge of himself and thus be able to determine if he can make a comeback in Australia. Shami's last match in international cricket was the 2023 World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad.