Indian speedster Mohammed Shami had a disappointing start with the ball in the India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23. Shami erred in his line as he delivered as many as five wide balls in the opening over.
The veteran pacer Shami, who picked up a five-wicket haul in India's opening match against Bangladesh, found it hard to get into his rhythm in his opening over against Pakistan. Shami has now equalled an unwanted India record after bowling five wides.
Shami has now equalled the record for most balls bowled by an Indian bowler in an over in ODI cricket. His 11-ball over is the joint-most alongside Irfan Pathan (11-ball over against West Indies in 2006) and Zaheer Khan (11-ball over against Australia in 2003).
Shami bowls second-most wides in opening over in Champions Trophy
The five wide balls delivered by Shami are the most in the first over of an innings in the Champions Trophy after Tinashe Panyangara's seven against England in the 2004 Champions Trophy.
Shami went off the field as he faced some issues during his third over in his opening spell. A physio attended to him and went off the field after completing his third over. The pacer then made a return to the field and began bowling.
Pakistan had won the toss and opted to bat first. India have now lost the toss a record 12 straight times since last winning the flip of the coin in the 2023 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand.
Pakistan made one change to their Playing XI, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing the injured Fakhar Zaman. The Men in Blue remained unchanged, playing the same team that defeated Bangladesh a few days ago.
"Will bat first, looks like a good surface. Want to put up a good target. Every match is important in ICC events, we will keep things normal. The boys are familiar with these conditions, we have done well here and we want to do our best today. We lost our last game, but it is past for us now. One change - Fakhar is out, Imam is in," Rizwan said at the toss.
"Doesn't really matter, they won the toss so we'll bowl first. Looks similar to the last game, the surface is on the slower side. We have an experienced unit in batting so we know what we need to do if the pitches get slower. Need an overall performance from the team - with bat and ball. The last game wasn't an easy one for us, which is always nice. You want to be under pressure and test yourself. We are playing the same team," Rohit said at the toss.