It was the first time a delivery in women’s cricket was measured at more than 130km/h, with Ismail’s thunderbolt smacking into former Australia captain Meg Lanning’s pad on the second ball of the third over.
Former South African pacer Shabnim Ismail made history on Tuesday by bowling the fastest delivery ever recorded in women’s cricket. The right arm broke the 130km/h mark while competing in India’s Women’s Premier League (WPL). Ismail broke the record with a 132.1km/h (82.08mph) delivery for the Mumbai Indians in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) match against the Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
It was the first time a delivery in women’s cricket had been timed at more than 130km/h, with Ismail’s thunderbolt smacking into the pad of former Australia captain Meg Lanning on the second ball of the match’s third over.
Ismail, who had played for South Africa in all eight previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and had only retired from international cricket after last year’s home tournament, had previously been clocked bowling at 128km/h (79.54mph) against the West Indies in 2016 and at 127km/h twice during the most recent edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2022.
In a 16-year international career, Ismail (34) represented South Africa in 127 ODIs, 113 T20Is, and one Test match.
The South African is regarded as the fastest bowler in women’s cricket, having taken 317 international wickets. Her international wicket count includes three Test wickets, 191 ODI scalps, and 123 T20I wickets.
When asked about breaking the record during a post-game interview, Ismail downplayed the effort, stating that she “does not actually look at the big screen when I am bowling.”
Ismail’s efforts were in futile as the Indians lost to the Capitals by 29 runs in Delhi after she bowled four costly overs and finished with statistics of 1/46. Mumbai chose to field first, and the Delhi Capitals scored 192/4 in their 20 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues (69* in 33 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and captain Lanning (53 in 38 balls, with six fours and two sixes) both scored half-centuries for the team.
MI lost wickets quickly in their 193 chase and were 68/5 at one point. MI made a valiant effort, but they were well short of victory as their innings ended at 163/8, thanks to knocks from Amanjot Kaur (42 in 27 balls, with seven fours) and Sajeevan Sajana (24 in 14 balls, with three fours and a six).
DC’s best bowlers were Marizanne Kapp (2/37) and Jess Jonassen (3/21).
With four victories in five games and eight points, DC has surged to the top of the standings. MI is in third place with six points from three victories in five games.
