Shahbaz Nadeem completes 500 First-class wickets

Nadeem has 500 first-class wickets [Source: Twitter]

Jharkhand’s left arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem completed 500 wickets in his first-class career. The veteran spinner achieved the milestone during Jharkhand’s round-5 fixture of Ranji Trophy against Chhattisgarh.

The 33-year-old started this game with 499 wickets and picked up his 500th scalp by cleaning up Amandeep Khare during Chhattisgarh’s first innings.

There are very few prolific performers like Nadeem in Indian domestic cricket, who keep pushing himself through the hard yards and take a bagful of wickets for Jharkhand. He is one of the few bowlers who scalped more than 50 wickets in two consecutive Ranji Trophy seasons.

Nadeem, who made his first-class debut for Jharkhand in 2004 against Kerala, has 377 wickets at an average of 27.26 for the state, including 21 five-wicket hauls in an innings and 6 ten-wicket haul in a match. In addition, Nadeem has 83 wickets while playing for India A, including 3 five wicket-hauls and one ten-wicket haul in a match.

He is easily Jharkhand's highest wicket-taker in first-class cricket and also currently the 12th highest wicket-taker in the history of Ranji Trophy.

Nadeem made his Test debut for India against South Africa in Ranchi back in October, 2019. However, he could play only two Test matches, picking eight wickets as the presence of Ravindra Jadeja and the recent rise of Axar Patel has made it difficult for him to have a consistent run in the Indian whites.

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