South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (right) celebrates taking a wicket. (AP photo)
South Africa spearhead Shabnim Ismail etched her name in the record books by becoming the first female bowler to take 50 wickets in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup during the semi-final against England at The Oval on Thursday.The milestone came in Ismail’s 38th appearance in the Women’s T20 World Cup when she dismissed England opener Amy Jones with the first ball of her opener. Jones could manage just two runs before she edged Aneri Derksen, giving the veteran fast bowler her historic 50th wicket of the tournament.
Ismail was not finished, scoring again in her second to leave England reeling at 23/3 and put South Africa firmly in front during the early stages of the semi-final.However, England recovered through a brilliant century partnership between skipper Nat Scheffer-Brunt and former skipper Heather Knight before eventually claiming a 40-run victory to book the Women’s T20 World Cup final against Australia.
Ismail reaches an unprecedented achievement in the World Cup
The 37-year-old from Cape Town went into the semi-final needing just one wicket to reach the unprecedented feat and he wasted little time in achieving it.Her early achievements highlighted why she remains one of the most feared fast bowlers in women’s cricket. Ismail now sits alone at the top of the all-time Women’s T20 World Cup wicket charts with 51 scalps, increasing her lead over Australia’s Megan Schutt, who has 48 wickets.
Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry is third with 44 wickets, followed by England’s Anya Shrubsole (41) and her South African colleague Marizanne Kapp (39).Already South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in international cricket, Ismail has also amassed 191 wickets in 127 women’s ODIs and 131 wickets in 119 T20Is, underscoring her impressive longevity and consistency across formats.Most wickets in a Women’s T20 World Cup
- 51 – Shabnim Ismail (S)*
- 48- Megan Shutt (Australia)
- 44- Elise Perry (Australia)
- 41- Anya Shrubsole (England)
- 39- Marizan Cap (SA)
England bounce back after a fiery opening period
Reflecting on her memorable opening spell, Ismail admitted Jones’ dismissal came from a delivery that didn’t quite go to plan.“We knew she liked side dominance. Obviously it wasn’t my best ball, to be honest, but I’ll take it any day,” she said.Although South Africa reduced England to 33/3 in the powerplay, Ismail acknowledged the game-changing partnership between Skiver Brandt and Knight.“If we talk about 33 points out of the three, we’ll get that power any day. Obviously we’ve got Heather Knight and the leader there. The way they attacked us, the experience spoke for itself,” she said.When asked what motivates her after her distinguished international career, the veteran player praised those close to her.“I definitely think my family and teammates keep me young and encourage me to keep going,” she said.While her historic feat was one of the standout moments of the semi-final, England ultimately had the final say. Led by Sciver-Brunt’s impressive 75, they recovered from an early collapse to reach 169/5 before restricting South Africa to 129/8, ending the Proteas’ campaign and setting up a title showdown with unbeaten Australia at Lord’s.
