Shabnim Ismail Becomes First Female Cricketer to Bowl at 130kmph

Warda Shahid

March 7, 2024

Shabnim Ismail is the only Muslim woman to play in South Africa’s team, also held the record before, and has created history by bowling the fastest ball.

Photo: AFP

The first Muslim Female Bowler to bowl at a speed of 130kmph gains widespread attention.

Shabnim became the first female bowler to have achieved this feat as she bowled 130 kilometers per hour.

She made the record during the match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League Match. The second season of the league is being played in India’s Bengaluru and Delhi.

Mumbai Indians’ South African player, Shabnim, delivered the second ball of the third over at 132.1 mph during a match against Meg Lanning, the Australian captain, at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium.

The ball struck Lanning’s pads. Shabnim has a history of such high-speed bowling, having previously set a record of 128 kmph against the West Indies in 2016. Shabnim’s bowling has been praised as one of the fastest in the world.

His speed has caused many batsmen to struggle and has become a major factor in Mumbai Indians’ success.

She also achieved speeds of 127 mph twice during the ICC Women’s World Cup. The 35-year-old had a remarkable performance after the T20 World Cup last year. She was subsequently named the T20 Player of the Year by the International Cricket Council. Shabnim’s speed and accuracy make her one of the most feared bowlers in the women’s game.

This remarkable achievement adds to Shabnim’s legacy as she recently etched her name in history books for the fastest bowling any woman has ever had. During the mid-innings break, Ismail confessed that she hadn’t been aware of her monumental achievement as she refrained from looking at the big screen while bowling.

Despite her record-setting pace, Ismail’s performance in the match did not meet her expectations, as she conceded 46 runs, including being hammered for three consecutive sixes by Delhi Capitals batter Shafali Verma in the third over.