Mohammed Shami, who played his last international match in the Champions Trophy 2025, has not been selected for the Asia Cup 2025 squad. After being repeatedly ignored for major tournaments and series, questions about his retirement started surfacing. However, Shami shut down his critics with a strong response.
When asked about his possible retirement, Shami said, “Tell me, whose life have I become a burden on that you want me to retire? Will someone’s life improve if I retire?” Shami had played a key role in India’s Champions Trophy victory, finishing as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 9 wickets in the tournament.
Speaking to News24, Shami said, “If someone has a problem, tell me if my retirement will make their life better. Tell me, whose life am I a stone in that you want me to retire? The day I get bored, I will leave cricket myself. You may not select me, but I will keep working hard. If you don’t pick me for international matches, I will play domestic cricket. I will continue playing somewhere. When you start feeling bored, that’s when you make such decisions. But for me, that time hasn’t come yet.”
Shami further added that he is ready to keep working hard through domestic cricket and is fully focused on making a comeback to the Indian team and winning the 2027 ODI World Cup.
He said, “I have only one dream left, and that is to win the ODI World Cup. I want to be a part of that team and perform in a way that helps bring the trophy home. In 2023, we came very close. We had a strong inner belief but also a little fear because we were winning continuously, and then came the knockout stage. There was some pressure. But the excitement and trust of the fans motivated us. It was a dream that could have come true, but maybe it just wasn’t written in my destiny.”