"Delighted to be a part of Bengal’s journey to the quarterfinals" - Mohammed Shami

Bengal pacer Mohammed Shami has stated that he is delighted to have been a part of his team's journey to the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 34-year-old took to his Instagram account and heaped praise on his teammates and the support staff for their "incredible efforts".

Bengal defeated Chandigarh in the pre-quarterfinal fixture on Monday, December 9, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to make it to the quarterfinals.

Shami produced an all-round performance in the victory against Chandigarh by playing a vital cameo towards the end of their innings. He smashed 32* off just 17 deliveries, which included three fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 188.24.

The speedster's innings helped his team post 159/9 on the board after they were reeling at 114-8 at one stage. In the second innings, Shami gave his team a good start by dismissing Chandigarh opener Arslan Khan off the third ball of the opening over. He finished with figures of 1-25 in four overs, recording another economical spell in this edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The caption of Mohammed Shami's Instagram post read:

"It’s always a proud moment to contribute to the team’s success. Delighted to be a part of Bengal’s journey to the quarterfinals. A big shoutout to all the players and team staff for their incredible efforts. Let’s keep pushing forward together!"

Here's Shami's post:

Bengal to meet Baroda in the quarterfinals

Chasing 160 runs for a place in the last eight, Manan Vohra's men suffered a narrow defeat as they fell short of the target by just three runs and crashed out of the tournament. Right-arm medium bowler Sayan Ghosh was adjudged Player of the Match for his heroics with the ball having picked up four wickets for 30 runs.

With this win, the Sudip Gharami-led side will now meet Baroda in the quarterfinal clash, which is all set to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, December 11. Baroda directly made it to the quarter-finals, having won six out of their seven Group B matches at the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.