Mohammed Shami retires from Test cricket: 229 wickets, a seam that never wobbled, and plenty of white-ball left
Mohammed Shami has quit Test cricket on the 13th anniversary of his debut, signing off with 229 wickets in 64 Tests. He will keep playing white-ball cricket.
Mohammed Shami has called time on his Test career. The Bengal fast bowler announced his retirement from the format on Friday, 6 November, in an Instagram video, on the 13th anniversary of his Test debut. He finishes with 229 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 27.71, including six five-wicket hauls. He also made it clear that this is goodbye to the red ball only: he will carry on playing white-ball cricket.
In the video he held his Test cap, number 279, and a red ball. He called it a heavy-hearted decision and said he was leaving the white jersey but not the memories that came with it. He thanked his family, teammates, coaches, fans, the BCCI and the Cricket Association of Bengal.
A debut at Eden Gardens, a farewell on the same date
The timing was deliberate. Shami got his Test cap on 6 November 2013 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, his home ground in domestic cricket. He did not ease in. He took 4/71 and 5/47, nine wickets in the match, and India won by an innings and 51 runs. Thirteen years later, to the day, he chose the same date to walk away.
His last Test came in June 2023, in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval. India lost that one by 209 runs. His most recent international appearance was at the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The numbers behind the seam
Shami was never the fastest or the loudest bowler in India's attack. He was the one with the upright seam that batters could not read. A few figures sum him up:
- 64 Tests, 229 wickets, average 27.71
- Six five-wicket hauls
- Nine wickets on debut against the West Indies in 2013
- Test cap number 279
Those numbers belong to a bowler who did his damage with the old-fashioned virtues of line, length and seam. He did not need a green pitch, just a bit of help from the ball.
That afternoon at Lord's
Ask any Indian fan for one Shami Test memory and plenty will skip the wickets altogether. In August 2021 at Lord's, he walked in with India in trouble on the final day. He made an unbeaten 56 and added 89 for the ninth wicket with Jasprit Bumrah. He brought up his fifty with a six off Moeen Ali. India declared and set England 272, then bowled them out for 120 to win by 151 runs. Shami and Bumrah had first batted England out of the game, then helped bowl them out. That is the Lord's afternoon fans still talk about.
What happens now
Shami has not played for India since the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the Test side has moved on to younger quicks. India's next Tests are in New Zealand later this month, at Wellington from 19 November and Christchurch from 27 November. This decision just makes official what the selection sheets have been saying for a while.
The white-ball door stays open. Shami said he will keep playing white-ball cricket. So you will still see that wrist position in coloured clothing for a while yet.
The FHM take
Some fast bowlers retire with a speed-gun reading. Shami leaves with a seam position people will still be imitating in nets across India years from now. He picked the date himself, held the cap up one last time, and bowed out without fuss. With 229 Test wickets, a debut nine-for at Eden Gardens and that fifty at Lord's, he earned that much. Thank you for the red-ball years, Shami.
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