Overview
- Bengal beat Services by seven wickets in Hyderabad, chasing 166 in 15.1 overs after Shami’s spell helped bowl out the opposition for 165.
- Shami returned 4 for 13 in 3.2 overs without conceding a boundary, his second-best T20 figures, with Akash Deep adding 3 for 27.
- Abhimanyu Easwaran struck 58 off 37 and Abhishek Porel hit 56 off 29 in a 93-run stand that sealed Bengal’s fourth win in five matches.
- The victory moved Bengal to 16 points and top of SMAT Group C, strengthening their position for the knockout stage.
- Left out of recent ODI/T20 squads after the Champions Trophy, Shami’s form has renewed calls for a recall as Ajit Agarkar’s panel points to limited fitness clarity, with Shami and former players like Harbhajan Singh questioning the decision.