Illustration of a fast bowler in blue, seen from behind, delivering the ball under floodlights at a cricket stadium at dusk.
Sports & Cricket
Mohammed Shami retires from Test cricket after 13 years
Mohammed Shami has announced his retirement from Test cricket, exactly 13 years after his debut, and will continue playing white-ball and domestic cricket.
⚡Key Highlights
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Mohammed Shami has announced his retirement from Test cricket, exactly 13 years after his debut, and will continue playing white-ball and domestic cricket.
Special coverage and in-depth reporting from the Sports & Cricket desk.
Key analysis, background details, and full reporting below.
The 36-year-old announced the decision in a video message on Friday night, 13 years after his debut at Eden Gardens, and will keep playing white-ball cricket.
By StoryTimesNow News Desk — 07 November 2026, 7:04 PM IST
Symbolic illustration of a fast bowler under floodlights at dusk, not a photograph of Mohammed Shami.
Key Takeaways
Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday night, 6 November 2026, exactly 13 years after his debut against West Indies at Eden Gardens.
He finishes with 229 wickets in 64 Tests, including six five-wicket hauls, and remains India's leading wicket-taker in 50-over World Cups with 55 wickets.
Shami will continue playing white-ball cricket and domestic cricket for Bengal, starting with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy from 14 November.
Introduction
Mohammed Shami has retired from Test cricket, closing a 13-year career in the format that began and ended on the same date, 6 November. The 36-year-old announced the decision in a video message on Friday night, saying he was retiring from Test cricket with beautiful memories. He has not played a Test since the World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023.
What Happened?
Shami posted a video on X and Instagram on Friday night to confirm his decision, choosing the date deliberately: he made his Test debut against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 6 November 2013, and he stepped away from the five-day format on the same date 13 years later.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India thanked him for defining an era of Indian pace bowling and noted his Test cap number, 279. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, speaking ahead of the second one-day international between India and New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, said he was a little disappointed and believed Shami still had 30 to 40 Test wickets left in him. Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said he had hoped Shami would return to the Test side and sign off in India colours.
Why Does This Matter?
Shami retires as one of the finest fast bowlers India has produced, and a central figure in the side's rise as a pace attack that could win Tests away from home. He finishes as India's 12th-highest wicket-taker in Tests and sixth among Indian fast bowlers. His record away from home stands out: 145 of his 229 wickets came in 41 away Tests, including 123 in 34 matches in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.
Shami's last Test was the World Test Championship final in June 2023, and he spent more than three years out of India's red-ball side before retiring, despite continuing to play and take wickets for Bengal. That gap has reopened a debate about whether the selectors gave a proven match-winner a fair final chance.
Important Details
Shami's Test career, in figures:
Career mark
Figure
Tests played
64 (2013 to 2023)
Wickets
229
Five-wicket hauls
6
Best bowling in an innings
6 for 56, vs Australia at Perth, Dec 2018
Best bowling in a match
9 for 118, on debut vs West Indies, Nov 2013
Wickets away from home
145 in 41 Tests
Test debut: 6 November 2013, vs West Indies at Eden Gardens. Shami took nine wickets as India won by an innings and 51 runs in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test series.
Last Test: June 2023, vs Australia in the World Test Championship final at The Oval, London.
Last international appearance: the Champions Trophy final vs New Zealand in March 2025.
White-ball record: India's leading wicket-taker in 50-over World Cups, with 55 wickets.
Domestic and IPL: Bengal in domestic cricket; Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.
Background and Context
Shami's debut announced a bowler of rare skill. Taking nine wickets against West Indies at Eden Gardens, he became the Indian pacer with the most wickets on Test debut. He built a reputation on seam movement and swing with both the new ball and the old, which made him dangerous in all conditions and especially effective overseas. He played a big role in India's Test series win in Australia in 2018-19.
The final years of his Test career were shaped by injury and absence. After the 2023 World Test Championship final he never returned to the Test side, even as he stayed active in domestic cricket and starred at the 2023 World Cup. His final first-class outing for Bengal against Maharashtra this week, in which he took four wickets in the first innings, showed he was still bowling well when he chose to draw the line.
What Happens Next?
Shami has kept his options open in the white-ball formats, which keeps his chances alive for the 2027 World Cup, and he remains available for domestic multi-day matches. His immediate assignment is the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, starting on 14 November, where Bengal open against Karnataka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. There will be no farewell Test: his retirement closes the red-ball chapter without a final appearance in India colours.
What Readers Should Know
This is a retirement from Test cricket only. Shami has not retired from international cricket or domestic cricket. He remains available for one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals, and he will keep playing first-class cricket for Bengal. His Test records stand as career records.
FAQs
Has Mohammed Shami retired from all cricket? No. He has retired from Test cricket only, and will keep playing white-ball and domestic cricket.
Why did Shami retire from Tests now? He chose 6 November 2026, exactly 13 years after his Test debut. He had not played a Test since June 2023.
Could Shami still play in the 2027 World Cup? He remains available in white-ball formats, so the possibility is open, but selection is not guaranteed.
Sources and Verification
The announcement, career figures and reactions were reported on 7 November 2026 by these outlets:
Based on reports published on 7 November 2026 by News18, Onmanorama, The Statesman, The Telegraph, Outlook, Telangana Today and Tribune India (ANI). Shami announced the retirement in a video message on 6 November 2026. The hero image is a symbolic illustration, not a photograph of him.
