'Can't tolerate claims of betraying my country': How Fixing Claim led to Shami Contemplate 'Suicide'

Mohammed Shami will go down as one of the finest all-time bowlers of India. The seamer has amassed a heap of wickets in both ODIs and Tests, moreover, he is still a force to be reckoned with at 33. While he has a largely successful career from the beginning, still there did appear a tough phase when he endured a setback both on the professional and personal front.

Also Read | ENG Opener Thinks Team Can Break Decades Old Record Created vs India

Mohammed Shami's friend states 'fixing allegations' completely broke him

Subhankar Mishra's podcast, which has incessantly been hosting ex-cricketers and knowers of the game lately, recently brought Mohammed Shami's friend Umesh on the show. During the conversation, Shami's friend highlighted the difficult period that the India bowler went through. To summarise, Shami suffered injuries which minimized his game time, he encountered personal turmoil with his ex-wife Hasin Jahan, had to stay away from his daughter, and the most distressing of all his estranged wife alleged Shami of being involved in fixing. His friend brought forward that while everything had already taken a toll on him the match-fixing allegations completely broke him.

"Shami was fighting with everything during that phase. He lived with me in my house. But when the fixing allegations with Pakistan broke, and led to a probe that night, he was shattered. He said that I can tolerate everything but not allegations of betraying my country," Umesh said on Subhankar Mishra's podcast 'Unplugged'.

Also Read | Deepti Sharma Says Team India is focusing on one game at a time

One step away from breaking

Umesh further revealed that Shami was seemingly on the verge of taking the extreme step but decided against it and was ultimately served with relief.

"It also came in the news that he wanted to do something drastic that night [end his life]. It was around 4 AM in the morning when I got up to drink water. I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw that he was standing on the balcony. It was the 19th floor we were living in. I understood what happened. That night of Shami's career, I feel, was the longest. Later, one day, when we were talking, he got a message on his phone saying he got a clean chit from the committee that was investigating the matter. He was probably happier that day than he would have been if he had won a World Cup," he added.