Arjuna Award For World Cup Hero! Country Honours Mohammed Shami's Cricket Wizardry

The Arjuna Award, after the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, is the second-highest athletic honour in India. The final cricket player to receive the Arjuna in 2021 was Shikhar Dhawan.

Who has been awarded Arjuna Award for cricket?

Mohammed Shami Conferred With Arjuna Award/ Credit: X

Cricketer Mohammed Shami was honoured with the Arjuna Award by President of India Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Tuesday. The seam bowler was conferred with honour at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.  

What did he have to say about the award?

Shami had declared, "This award is a dream," in a speech the day before the event. People cannot get this prize after a lifetime has passed. It makes me really happy, and I'm proud of myself. Since the ODI World Cup, where the Indian cricket team advanced to the final against Australia, Shami has not played for the team. 

Mohammed Shami on the field/Credit: X

The pacer did not play in Australia's next Twenty20 international series. After that, he was included in the South African team, but an ankle injury prevented him from playing. 

Where is Shami headed next?

Shami will now probably miss the opening two Test matches in the series, which begins on January 25 against England. "Taking one's time to return to activity and dealing with injuries are both aspects of the game. But valuing the affection that fans have for players is what really matters. Will work to get back on the ground as soon as possible," the speedster for the Gujarat Titans stated.

In the World Cup of Cricket, Mohammed Shami became the first bowler from India to collect 50 wickets. In the history of the World Cup of Cricket, he became the first Indian player to take 50 wickets in the quickest time.

How do all his achievements look?

In Test, ODI, and T20 matches, he was his best bowler overall with 57 runs and 7 wickets. In ODIs, Shami became the first player from India to take seven wickets. 

Mohammed Shami bowling on the field/ Credit:File

The top bowlers prior to this were Stuart Binny (6/4), Anil Kumble (6/12), Jasprit Bumrah (6/19), and Mohammed Siraj (6/21).

In the 2003 World Cup of Cricket, Ashish Nehra claimed 6/23 wickets. In the history of the Cricket World Cup, he holds the distinction of being the first bowler to take five wickets four times. 

Mitchell Starc comes in second (twice). ..With 23 wickets, he is the highest wicket-taker in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Zakir Khan's greatest number of wickets before this was 21.

Watch the ceremony here.

President Droupadi Murmu presents the Arjuna Award 2023 to Mohammad Shami for his excellent performance.#NationalSportsAwards2023 @MdShami11 pic.twitter.com/m0NHOnvdG8

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) January 9, 2024

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