Shabnim Ismail is among the quickest bowlers in women's cricket.
The feared bumper
She did a wonderful job in the 2022 women's ODI World Cup where she ended up as the second highest wicket taker in the competition and the highest for South Africa with 14 wickets from 8 matches at an average of 17.50 and an economy rate of 4.02.
Ismail is known for roughing up the batters with her quick bouncers and following it up with full wicket taking deliveries.
Fan of Dale Steyn Ismail, in an interview, revealed that she always wanted to be properly fast and was inspired by the likes of Dale Steyn and Andrew Nel.
"Early in my career, I grew up wanting to be a batter, but as I started becoming serious about cricket, my grandfather honed my talent as a fast bowler. He used to set targets for me, and when I used to keep hitting the stumps, he convinced me I had to just bowl fast. As I became a fast bowler and women's cricket started getting recognition, I loved the fact that everyone felt that the intensity and focus I carried on the field was just like Dale's. I also admired Andre Nel. He was a colourful character and had so much heart."
"Nel loved a chirp but had the great ability to back that up with performances. So when I chose my jersey number, 89, Andre called me and joked about me copying his number. Andre used to speak to me about the need to consistently bowl fast, and how that would be the only factor that could set me apart. Though I didn't blindly copy them, I would be amazed at how Steyn, in particular, used to rough up batsmen with bouncers. I dreamt of doing that in women's cricket. I remember a game against Thailand at the T20 World Cup this year. I was bowling real quick and kept bouncing their batters. I could sense a bit of fear. I felt special."
A towering figure As things stand, the South African has taken 178 wickets from 122 ODIs and 110 wickets from 98 T20 Internationals.
Coming from the land which is known for Allan Donald, also referred to as the white lightning because of his pace, Shabnim Ismail has carried forward the rich legacy of South African bowlers like Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and MorneMorkel with honour.
