Shami grew up in the village of Sahaspur in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, one of five children.[7][8] His father Tauseef Ali[c] was a farmer who had been a fast bowler in his youth;

He was not, however, selected for the Uttar Pradesh under-19 side, and later in 2005 Badruddin sent him to Kolkata to increase his chances of selection for a state side.[7

Shami later joined Mohun Bagan Cricket Club, one of the best sides in Bengal, in order to be considered for selection to the full state side.

He bowled to former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly in the Eden Gardens nets; Ganguly recommended him to the state selectors and soon after Shami was picked in the Bengal squad for the 2010–11 Ranji Trophy.[9][12]

In February 2012 his bowling helped East Zone win their first Duleep Trophy title; he took eight wickets in the match and was described as "outstanding, consistently getting bounce and zip from just short of a good length".

During the 2012–13 Ranji Trophy, Shami took 11 wickets in a match against Madhya Pradesh in November, including seven wickets for 79 runs (7/79) in the first innings, a return which included a hat-trick.

The following month he took 4/36 and 6/71 against Hyderabad on a green wicket at Eden Gardens, his second ten-wicket match in only his 15th first-class game

LIKE AND SHARE