A record seven-wicket haul from Mohammed Shami powered India past New Zealand at the Wankhede to secure their place in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19).

India won by 70 runs in Mumbai after posting 397-4 batting first. They bowled New Zealand out for 327 with seven balls remaining, mostly thanks to Shami’s brilliance.

As is becoming a theme of his World Cup, Shami struck with the first ball of his spell when he found Devon Conway’s outside edge to give India their first. He followed up with the wicket of Rachin Ravindra in his next over to leave New Zealand two down in the powerplay.

There were some nervy moments for India, however, despite their margin of victory. Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell put together a 181-run partnership in the middle overs which briefly threatened to take New Zealand close to their target. During that partnership, Shami dropped a sitter off Williamson shortly after he reached his half-century, which could have had a significant impact on the match.

But, Shami was brought onto bowl four overs later and dismissed Williamson with the second ball of his first over. He then trapped Tom Latham lbw two balls later to pull the game firmly back into India’s grasp. Those wickets left him with four strikes and still five overs left to bowl.

His final two overs of the game, by which point the result was a formality, saw him seal his phenomenal World Cup record. He dismissed Mitchell for 134 in his penultimate over, Ravindra Jadeja taking his third catch of the day, before striking twice in his final over. Tim Southee nicked behind from the first ball of the 49th and, after hitting a huge six off his second ball at the crease, Lockie Ferguson was the last wicket to fall.

51 World Cup wickets in just 17 games.

Eight four-fors and an average of 13 – Mohammed Shami just loves playing World Cup cricket.#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/jOlFxk6aDf

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 15, 2023

Shami finished the match with extraordinary figures of 7-57. He is only the fifth bowler to take seven wickets in a men’s ODI World Cup, and the first to do so in a semi-final. Shami is also the first India player to take seven wickets in an innings in the competition, overtaking Ashish Nehra for the best figures for an India bowler (6-23).

Shami’s figures are also the best-ever for an India bowler in men’s ODIs, passing Stuart Binny’s 6-4 in 2014. On the all-time list, Shami’s performance ranks as the 12th best ever in a men’s ODI, and the tenth among fast-bowlers.

He is now the leading wicket-taker in the 2023 competition, having only played six matches and taken 23 wickets. His three five-fors in this edition of the competition put him at the top of the list for the most five-fors taken overall in men’s ODI World Cups (4), ahead of Mitchell Starc who has three.

India will play the winner of the second semi-final (South Africa vs Australia) in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.

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