South African quick bowler Shabnim Ismail has successfully surpassed the 130kph barrier for the first time in women’s cricket since speeds have been recorded. On Tuesday, Ismail bowled a delivery that the speed-gun on broadcast recorded at 132.1kph in the WPL game between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi.
It was the second ball of the third over in the game which Ismail bowled full to Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning, who missed the delivery and was hit on the front pad. Mumbai appealed for lbw but it was rejected.
At the end of the innings, when asked if she was aware of the fastest delivery she had bowled, Ismail stated she “doesn’t actually look at the big screen when I’m bowling.” Ismail had also recorded a delivery of 128.3kph in the opening game of the tournament also against the Delhi Capitals. However, she missed a few games for the Mumbai Indians due to an injury and resumed her performance on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: WPL 2024: Mid-Season Review And Analysis
WPL 2024: Shabnim Ismail has been in sublime form
In international cricket too, the fastest delivery recorded is by Shabnim Ismail, when she bowled one at 128kph against West Indies in 2016 and broke the 127kph mark twice in the 2022 ODI World Cup.
Although, Shabnim Ismail performed below her best. Mumbai Indians chose to field first and Ismail opened the bowling for MI and began bowling on the pads, exhibiting erratic full deliveries. After her first two overs went for 14 runs, Shafali Verma hit her for consecutive sixes at the start of her third before Ismail had her caught behind for 28 and gave her an aggressive send-off. She ended with 1/46 from her four-over spell in the top-of-the-table encounter.
Shabnim Ismail, 35, retired from international cricket in May 2023, months after the home T20 World Cup to end her 16-year cricketing career. She played in 241 international games, taking 317 wickets across various formats, including 127 ODIs, 113 T20Is, and a Test. She has now become a regular in various T20 leagues worldwide.
Click Here to get the latest news related to Women’s Cricket. You can also check about Match predictions here. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
