Shabnim Ismail, the speed demon of South Africa called it a day in international cricket, dealing a serious blow to the South African international team that played the T20 World Cup finale against Australia in 2023, eventually finishing on the losing end.
However, it was the speedster who revolutionised fast bowling in South Africa’s women’s cricket, clocking 130 kays regularly that would leave the batters in a serious spot of bother while she would steam in full throttle.
A glance at Shabnim Ismail’s illustrious figures
Ismail is 34 years old and has been a part of 241 international games across all three formats of the sport, disseminating dominance in the boldest of fashions. Her last appearance in the cricketing arcade was that of the World Cup final where South Africa bowed down to Australia after a meek submission with the bat.
She broke the record for the fastest delivery bowled in women’s cricket, registering a figure of 128 kays which was later broken by Ellyse Perry in WPL. However, Ismail still holds the record of the fastest ball in the international arcade.
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This is what Shabnim Ismail had to say about her span in cricket
In her speech after the farewell, Ismail said, “After 16 years proudly representing my country, I have come to the difficult decision to retire from international cricket and move on to the next chapter of my life. I really believe that reducing the amount of cricket I play will enable me to do this, and playing in global leagues is the only way I see to be able to fit in both family and cricket.”
Shabnim Ismail is also the second highest-wicket taker in ODIs with an overall haul of 191 scalps, second to Jhulan Goswami who claimed the highest wickets with 255 next to her name.
This is the fourth retirement that South Africa faced in the last two months with the first three being Dane van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez and Lizelle Lee calling it a day in international cricket too.
