When a brilliant fast bowler is in form, it’s the most exciting thing to watch in cricket.
The thunderbolt’s lethal blow, which leaves the stumps in a shattered mess, follows a long run up, loping steps, and the last jump before the delivery. There is nothing more breathtaking than this. Every decade has produced its own fast bowling icons, starting with Fred Spofforth, the first demon fast bowler, and going all the way up to Harold Larwood, Frank Tyson, Jeff Thomson, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, and Shoaib Akhtar.
Fast bowlers are what give cricket its personality and challenge. Without quick bowlers, cricket would have been too easy to classify as a tough sport. Shabnim Ismail of South Africa now holds the record for the fastest bowling speed among female cricket players.
Jhulan Goswami of India was regarded as the quickest female bowler a few years ago, but Shabnim has surpassed all prior records. The fastest ball bowled by a woman Shabnim bowled the fastest ball in a World Premier League game. For the first time since speeds started to be recorded in women’s cricket, the South African broke the 130 kmph barrier.
In the World Premier League match between her club, the Mumbai Indians, and the Delhi Capitals, Ismail bowled a delivery that the speed gun measured at 132.1 kph.
Ismail was bowling to the opposing captain, Meg Lanning, on the second delivery of the third over in the game. The hitter got struck on the front plate after missing the delivery. Before being dismissed, the Mumbai players requested a leg, but their request was denied. However, that delivery set a record for the fastest bowling ever.
Despite her retirement from international cricket, 35-year-old Ismail still retains the record in that category. Ismail set a record for the fastest delivery in an international match in 2016 when she delivered a ball against the West Indies at 128 mph.
Born to parents who are Indian
She is the youngest of seven children and was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Her parents left India and moved to South Africa. Her skill in cricket allowed her to be picked for the South African side, where she spent more than ten years as an important part of the bowling attack. She and Marizanne Kapp used to open bowling, and they were regarded as the greatest fast bowling combo in women’s cricket. Big in action, not in stature Though not enormous in stature, Shabnim Ismail is a colossus on stage. There are a lot of really tall and muscular fast bowlers in men’s cricket. Jhulan Goswami was quite tall in the women’s competition. But at five feet and five inches, Ismail is merely average in height. Despite this, she bowls with such intensity that it allows her to throw all of her efforts into getting the ball down the pitch.
There aren’t many batswomen in the world who can react fast enough to keep up with Ismail when she starts shooting. She is also quite good at disguising her change of pace, which frequently catches the opposition batswomen off guard.
The only female Muslim player for SA
The only Muslim woman to have represented South Africa in cricket internationally is Ismail. Ismail declared her retirement from international cricket on May 3, 2023. However, she still has all of her motivation and enthusiasm, and you can see her playing club cricket. She might possibly surpass her own record in the days to come.