Shabnim Ismail is the fastest bowler of the Women’s T20 World CupImage Credit source: Getty Images
The champion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is going to be announced soon. After the group stage is over, the semi-final round has started. While in the first semi-final, 6-time champion Australia defeated West Indies in a one-sided match, now host England will face South Africa in the second match. The bowler who has bowled the fastest ball in the current World Cup will also take part in this semi-final match. This bowler is Shabnim Ismail of South Africa, who wants to bowl even faster than this.
The second semi-final match between England and South Africa will be played at the Oval Stadium in London on Thursday 2 July. The team that wins this match will face Australia in the title match. South Africa is the runner-up of the last World Cup, where it had to face defeat by New Zealand in the final. Now once again this team is close to the title in the finals, its desire will be to leave behind all the past sorrows and pain.
Fastest bowler of Women’s World Cup
Shabnim Ismail was not in the team that lost the last World Cup, but a year before that, she was part of the South African team that lost to Australia in the 2023 final. After that this veteran fast bowler had retired. But this time she returned from retirement for the T20 World Cup and is bowling powerfully. She has taken 6 wickets in 5 matches so far and not only this, she has also bowled the fastest ball of this World Cup.
Shabnim bowled this ball at a speed of 122.6 kilometers per hour, which is the fastest in this World Cup. She bowled this ball in the group match against India, on which star opener Shefali Verma was out. Despite this, this 37 year old star pacer is not happy or satisfied with this. In an interview given to Cricinfo, Ismail said that she came to know about this speed but it is still quite slow because she can bowl even faster than this.
Shabnim has the record of fastest ball
Shabnim Ismail’s claim is not wrong because the record of fastest balls in the history of women’s cricket is in her name. She was the first bowler to break the 130 kmph barrier in women’s cricket. While playing for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League 2024 (WPL 2024), this pacer bowled at a speed of 132.1 kmph, which is a world record. Not only this, the record of the fastest ball in women’s cricket is also in the name of Shabnim, who measured a speed of 128 kilometers per hour in the 2016 World Cup.
