On Tuesday, former South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail achieved a historic milestone in women’s cricket by bowling the fastest delivery ever recorded. During a match in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) held in India, Ismail, known for her right-arm pace, shattered the 130km/h barrier. Her remarkable delivery reached an astounding speed of 132.1km/h (82.08mph) while representing the Mumbai Indians against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
It was the first time that a delivery in women’s cricket had been clock at a speed greater than 130km/h, with Ismail’s thunderbolt smashing into the pad of former Australia captain Meg Lanning on the second ball of the third over of the match.
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Ismail, who appeared for South Africa in all eight previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and only retired from international cricket following last year’s tournament on home soil, had previously been clocked as bowling at 128km/h (79.54mph) against the West Indies in 2016 and at 127km/h twice during the most recent edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2022.
Ismail (34) played 127 ODIs, 113 T20Is and a solitary Test for South Africa in an international career spanning 16 years. Hailed as the fastest bowler in the women’s game, the South African collected 317 international wickets. Her overall tally in international cricket includes 3 Test wickets, 191 ODI scalps and 123 wickets in T20Is.
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Ismail Downplays Record-Breaking Delivery; Mumbai Indians Fall to Delhi Capitals
When quizzed about breaking the record during a post-match interview, Ismail played down the effort and indicated she “does not actually look at the big screen when I am bowling.”
Ismail’s efforts were in vain as she delivered four expensive overs to finish with figures of 1/46 as the Indians went down to the Capitals by 29 runs in Delhi. Put to field first by Mumbai, Delhi Capitals made 192/4 in their 20 overs, with half-centuries coming from Jemimah Rodrigues (69* in 33 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and skipper Lanning (53 in 38 balls, with six fours and two sixes).
In the chase of 193, MI lost quick wickets and at one point were 68/5. Knocks from Amanjot Kaur (42 in 27 balls, with seven fours) and Sajeevan Sajana (24 in 14 balls, with three fours and a six) helped MI put up a fight, but ended their innings at 163/8, they fell way short of a win.
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