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Shami Returns, Shaheen Excluded And Steve Smith Century – January 11 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Mohammed Shami and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @cricketworldcup, @ImTanujSingh/x]Mohammed Shami and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @cricketworldcup, @ImTanujSingh/x]

Mohammed Shami received his long-awaited call-up to the Indian team after his injury layoff. Shaheen Afridi, on the other hand, was excluded from Pakistan’s national squad for the upcoming home Test series against West Indies. Ravindra Jadeja sparked retirement rumours with a cryptic social media post, while Rohit Sharma reportedly ‘contemplated’ Test retirement following India’s horror BGT tour of Australia.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Saturday, January 11.

Ravindra Jadeja Sparks Retirement Rumours

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja sparked rumours of his retirement by sharing a mysterious post on his Instagram account. Roughly a week after India’s 1-3 drubbing against Australia ‘Down Under’, Jadeja shared an image of his Test jersey, thus leaving the fans guessing about his future in the format.

The 36-year-old recently picked up just four wickets in the three Tests he played against Australia, and managed to tally just one half-century with the bat in his five innings.

No Shaheen, Naseem In Pakistan’s Test Squad Vs West Indies

Premier fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah found no place in Pakistan’s squad for their upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies at home. Pakistan’s 15-player line-up instead features uncapped cricketer Kashif Ali, and forgotten opener Imam-ul-Haq has been called back for national duty.

Shan Masood is set to lead the Pakistan team once again as they aim to overcome the scars of their recent tour of South Africa, where the visitors received a 0-2 larruping from the Proteas. The series against West Indies will be played between January 17 and January 29, with both matches slated to be hosted by the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Steve Smith Ransacks Scorchers With Match-Winning BBL Century

Australian batting legend Steve Smith plundered 121 unbeaten runs from just 64 deliveries against Perth Scorchers in match 30 of the BBL 2024-25 season at the SCG. Opening the innings for Sydney Sixers, the 35-year-old launched seven sixes and 10 boundaries as the hosts carted 220-3 from their 20 overs.

Marking the fourth century of his T20 career, and his third in BBL, his innings set up Sydney Sixers’ 14-run win over the Scorchers to reclaim their top spot on the BBL 2024-25 points table.

Mohammed Shami Returns As India Announce Squad For ENG T20Is

The BCCI unveiled India’s 15-player squad for the upcoming five-match T20I home series against England. In a major development, legendary fast bowler Mohammed Shami is set to make his return to national colors through the series after a gap of 14 months. The cricketer has been out of international action ever since he sustained an injury during India’s runners-up 2023 World Cup campaign at home.

Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the side, and he will be joined by Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, breakout star Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma among others. The five-match T20I series against England will be played between January 22 and February 2.

Gambhir Not Happy With Rohit Sharma’s Reversal From Test Retirement

According to an explosive Times of India report that emerged on January 11, Indian captain Rohit Sharma wanted to retire from Test cricket following Team India’s 184-run drubbing against Australia last month. However, the legendary Indian opener apparently reversed his decision at the behest of his well-wishers.

As per reports, Rohit Sharma’s reversal has not gone down well with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir. Sharma has been struggling with the bat and as a leader in red-ball cricket, considering the right-hander recently managed to tally just 31 runs in the three matches against Australia, and failed to make a noteworthy impact in the preceding home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.