Despite her desire to spend more time with her family, Ismail stated in a statement released by Cricket South Africa that she would still be available to play in domestic Twenty20 tournaments.
On Wednesday, South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail announced her retirement from international play. She holds the record for the fastest delivery in women’s cricket. She delivered the fastest recorded ball in women’s cricket in a semi-final match against England at the T20 World Cup in Cape Town in February, clocking in at 128 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour). According to a statement released by Cricket South Africa, 34-year-old Ismail has decided to focus on her family life, although she will still be eligible to play in local Twenty20 events across the world.
As a member of the first South African team, men or women, to advance to a World Cup final, she was able to cap off an impressive international career on a high note.
In the final versus Australia in Cape Town, she got two wickets (out of a possible 26), but it was not enough to prevent Australia from capturing their fifth title.
As a youngster in 2007, Ismail made her debut for her country’s national team. Since then, she has played in 241 matches for her country.
She finished second all-time with 191 ODI wickets (behind only India’s Jhulan Goswami) and fourth all-time with 123 T20 wickets.
She grabbed three wickets in her solitary Test match against the Netherlands in 2007. Due to an injury, she was unable to play in South Africa’s 2022 sole Test in England.
Ismail explained that as her parents and siblings age, she felt the need to spend more time with them. “As any athlete knows, training and competing at your best requires much sacrifice and dedication,” she added.
