Shami vs Zaheer vs Srinath: Decoding their World Cup stats
Mohammed Shami shattered numerous records en route to his five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka in Match 33 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. This was his second fifer in three games as Shami has now become India's highest wicket-taker in WCs. He went past Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan's tally of 44 scalps apiece. Let's compare the WC stats of the three pacers.
A fiery spell versus SL
Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance with the new ball meant SL were tottering at 3/4. The baton was then passed onto Shami, who dented the opposition even further. He was right on the money straightaway, claiming two wickets in his first over. The pace merchant then ran through the lower order. Shami's brilliance meant SL were folded for 55 while chasing 358.
Shami surpasses his compatriots
Shami, the man with the golden arm, clocked figures worth 5/18 from five overs. He has raced to 45 ODI World Cup scalps in just 14 matches. While Zaheer finished his WC career with 44 scalps in 23 matches, Srinath required 34 matches to take as many wickets in the tournament. Hence, Shami has not played even half of Srinath's WC matches.
Best average in WC history
Shami's bowling average in the tournament is a jaw-dropping 12.91. No other bowler with at least 25 WC wickets even averages 16. While Zaheer averages 20.22 in the competition, Srinath has an average of 27.81. However, Srinath's economy rate of 4.32 is the best among the three Indian pacers. Shami (4.91) and Zaheer (4.47) also boast impressive economy rates.
Joint-most WC fifers
Shami's tally of three WC fifers is the joint-most for any bowler. He shares the top spot with Australia's Mitchell Starc. No other Indian bowler owns multiple WC fifers. Neither Srinath nor Zaheer owns a WC fifer. Shami's tally of seven four-plus wicket hauls is the most for a bowler in the competition's history. Zaheer and Srinath have one and two WC four-fers, respectively.
Most wickets in a WC edition
Zaheer's best WC campaign came in 2011 as he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps. No other Indian bowler has claimed more wickets in a WC edition. Shami's best campaign in terms of wickets came in 2015, having claimed 17 wickets. Meanwhile, Srinath enjoyed his best campaign in the 2003 edition as he returned with 16 scalps.
Here are their overall numbers
With 315 scalps in 229 games, Srinath is India's leading wicket-taker among pacers in ODIs (5W: 3). Zaheer occupies the third spot on this list, having claimed 282 scalps in 200 outings (5W: 1). Meanwhile, Shami has raced to 185 scalps in 97 games (5W: 4). His strike rate of 26.07 is the best among Indian bowlers with 25-plus scalps.
