Shabnim Ismail (born 5 October 1988) is a South African
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
er who made her debut for the
national women's team in January 2007. A right-arm
fast bowler, Ismail is South Africa's all-time leading wicket-taker in both the
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
and
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
formats. She has earned a reputation as one of the fastest female bowlers in the world, with her top recorded speed reaching . She has played in every editions of the
ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament since its inception in 2009. She has featured in ICC World Twenty20 on seven occasions in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.
During her early years, she was a second change bowler and later transformed herself to a frontline bowler leading the bowling attack from the front and usually opened the bowling. She has been a vital cog of South African bowling attack for over a decade. She usually open the bowling alongside
Marizanne Kapp which is arguably considered as one of the best fast bowling combinations in women's international cricket.
In January 2021, Ismail became just the fourth bowler to take her
100th wicket in WT20Is. As of 2022, she holds the record for having taken the most number of wickets at a single venue in the history of WODIs with 24 scalps which she achieved at the Senwes Park, Potchefstroom.
Early life and education
Ismail was born in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...
and raised in Cravenby, which is part of the suburb of
Parow east of Cape Town's city centre.
She is the youngest of seven siblings,
whose parents emigrated to South Africa from India.
According to Ismail, "Cravenby is a very sporting-mad town." In its streets, she played cricket, soccer and other sports with many other children, including her older brothers, her cousin
Yaseen Vallie (a member of the
Western Province cricket team
Western Province is the team representing Western Cape province in domestic first-class cricket in South Africa. The team began playing in January 1890 and its main venue has always been Newlands in Cape Town. Under the reorganisation of profess ...
and former national Under-19 player), and future South African international cricketers
Vernon Philander and
Beuran Hendricks
Beuran Eric Hendricks (born 8 June 1990) is a South African cricketer who plays as a left-arm fast-medium bowler and left-handed batter for Western Province. He made his international debut for South Africa in March 2014.
Domestic career
Fol ...
.
For the street cricket games, crates would be set up as makeshift wickets, and either an indoor cricket ball or taped-up tennis ball would be used, as a hard ball would have been too much of a hazard to the many nearby windows.
Ismail attended Cravenby Secondary School,
a combined school that caters for primary as well as secondary learners.
As a young girl, she was unable to play cricket at school, because the school did not organise any cricket. She therefore played football with boys. In her sixth year at school, a boys' cricket team was established, and she played in that team, wearing her football shorts.
She has said that playing against boys made her stronger.
Ismail's mother and, especially, her grandfather were sports mad. They both encouraged her to play and watch cricket,
and read cricket books.
One day in 2004, while playing football with boys, Ismail was approached by a woman who asked her whether she played cricket. After receiving a positive answer, the woman recruited her into the Primrose Cricket Club.
During her early days with the club, Ismail focused on batting, but did not like being dismissed. She threatened several times to quit the game. A coach suggested that she concentrate on bowling instead. Before long, she had been nicknamed "The Demon", due to her propensity for bowling bouncers.
Meanwhile, almost immediately after joining the club, Ismail made her debut for the Western Province Under-16 team. Soon afterwards, she was added to the
Western Province senior squad.
After leaving school, Ismail worked for seven years as a speed-point technician, maintaining the
credit and debit card machines used to make
electronic funds transfer
Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is the electronic transfer of money from one bank account to another, either within a single financial institution or across multiple institutions, via computer-based systems, without the direct intervention of ...
s at point of sale.
, she was studying to become a mechanical engineer.
Domestic career
South Africa
Ismail made her senior debut for
Western Province in October 2005 (aged 17), during the 2005–06 season of South Africa's Women's Provincial League.
[Women's limited-overs matches played by Shabnim Ismail](_blank)
CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 November 2016. She took 15 wickets in her debut season, the second-most for Western Province behind
Shandre Fritz
Shandre Alvida Fritz (born 21 July 1985) is a South African former cricketer and current match referee. She played as a right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler. She appeared in 59 One Day Internationals and 26 Twenty20 Internationals ...
and
Alexis le Breton. This was followed by 21 wickets during the 2007–08 season, which was the sixth-most in the competition. Ismail has played in the Provincial League's final on a number of occasions throughout her career. She switched from Western Province to
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
for the 2015–16 season.
In September 2019, she was named in the Devnarain XI squad for the inaugural edition of the Women's T20 Super League in South Africa.
Australia
In December 2015, several weeks into the
inaugural season of Australia's
Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (known as the WBBL and, for sponsorship reasons, the Weber WBBL) is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 ...
, Ismail signed with the
Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bas ...
as an overseas marquee player, temporarily replacing
Rachel Priest
Rachel Holly Priest (born 13 June 1985 in New Plymouth, Taranaki) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She played for New Zealand between 2007 and 2020.
Career
Domestic and franchise
In May 201 ...
. On debut against the
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Mel ...
, Ismail took 3/10 from four overs in a five-wicket victory. She played in one more game, an eight-run loss to the Stars, before Priest returned to the line-up.
Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Ismail signed with the
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder are an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder are the successors of the New South Wal ...
for
WBBL05. Despite finishing with a modest total of ten wickets (ranking 25th in the league), she was the third-most
economical bowler throughout the tournament by conceding 5.88 runs per over. In an article for ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
,'' written by Thunder
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Rachael Haynes
Rachael Louise Haynes (born 26 December, 1986) is an Australian former international cricketer who has won six world championships as a member of the national women's team. A left-handed batter, Haynes was vice-captain of Australia from 2017 to ...
, the
fielding ability of Ismail was praised as one of the top five highlights of the season.
She was re-signed by Sydney Thunder ahead of the
WBBL06 season. She was a crucial member of the Sydney Thunder side which won the WBBL, 06 and also delivered a match winning spell of 2/12 including the big scalp of
Meg Lanning in the WBBL final to restrict Melbourne Stars to 86/9 in their 20 overs. She was also awarded the player of the final award for creating an early momentum by taking key early wickets in the final which propelled Sydney Thunder for their second WBBL title. She also went onto become the first South African player to win the Player of the Final Award in the Women's Big Bash League final.
However, she was ruled out of the
WBBL07 edition due to a prolonged knee injury.
England
In 2016, for the
inaugural season of England's
Women's Cricket Super League, Ismail signed with the
Yorkshire Diamonds. She was one of the team's three overseas players, along with Australians
Alex Blackwell and
Beth Mooney, and one of only four South Africans across the competition.
Ismail played in all five matches for the Diamonds and took six wickets, behind only
Danielle Hazell
Danielle Hazell (born 13 May 1988) is an English cricket coach and former player. She is currently the coach of English domestic team Northern Diamonds. As a player she was an off break bowler who batted right-handed. She represented England ...
among her teammates. Her best figures were 2/16 from two overs against the
Western Storm
Western Storm are a women's cricket team representing South West England and Wales, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic cricket. They play their home matches at the County Ground, Taunton, the County Ground, Bristol and Sophia Ga ...
, while she also took 2/23 from four overs against the
Lancashire Thunder.
She was signed up by
Oval Invincibles as a replacement player for
Rachael Haynes
Rachael Louise Haynes (born 26 December, 1986) is an Australian former international cricketer who has won six world championships as a member of the national women's team. A left-handed batter, Haynes was vice-captain of Australia from 2017 to ...
in the inaugural edition of the
Women's Hundred competition for the
2021 season. In April 2022, she was bought by the
Oval Invincibles for the
2022 season of
The Hundred The 100 may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* 100 (DC Comics), fictional organized crime groups appearing in DC Comics
* ''The 100'' (novel series), a 2013–2016 science fiction novel series written by Kass Morgan
* ''The 100'' (TV series), 20 ...
.
International career
Ismail made her international debut for South Africa in January 2007 (aged 18), in a
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
(ODI) against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. Her
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
and
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
debuts came in the same year, against the
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
, respectively.
Ismail was selected in South Africa's squad for the
2009 World Cup in Australia, but took only a single wicket from her three matches.
At the
2009 World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural ...
in England later in the year, she took seven wickets from three games (including 3/27 against
Australia),
which was the most for South Africa and the equal third-most overall.
At the
2011 World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh, Ismail took 6/10 in one match against the Netherlands, helping bowl the team out for just 36 runs. The performance set a new ODI record for South Africa, and was the equal fourth-best bowling performance across all women's ODIs at the time. She enjoyed more good form at the
2013 World Cup in India, finishing with eleven wickets from seven matches—the most for South Africa and the equal fifth-most overall. Her campaign included figures of 4/41 against Australia, 2/18 against Pakistan, and 2/22 against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
She was also one of the first female cricketers to be contracted by Cricket South Africa when Cricket South Africa made a landmark move to award full-time contracts to women cricketers in 2013.
In 2013, she was just one of six women players to be awarded central contracts.
With seven wickets from five games, Ismail was South Africa's equal-leading wicket-taker (with
Marizanne Kapp) at the
2014 World Twenty20
The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was the fifth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament, that took place in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April 2014. It was played in three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. T ...
in Bangladesh. She took 3/5 from three overs against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, helping to secure the team's first semi-final appearance in the tournament's history.
South Africa had less success at the
2016 edition in India, however, managing to win only one match. Ismail also had little success, taking three wickets from her four matches. During a
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
match against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, she set an unenviable new record for most runs conceded in a
Women's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is the sport's oldest world championship, with the first tournament held in England in 1973. Matches are played as One Day Internationals (ODIs) over 50 overs per team, while there is also another champions ...
innings, finishing with figures of 1/89.
In March 2018, Ismail was one of fourteen players to be awarded a national contract by
Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa (CSA) is the governing body for both professional and amateur cricket in South Africa. In 1991, the separate South African Cricket Union and the South African Cricket Board merged to form the United Cricket Board of South Afr ...
ahead of the 2018–19 season.
In October 2018, she was named in South Africa's squad for the
2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20
The 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 was the sixth edition of the ICC Women's World Twenty20, hosted in the West Indies from 9 to 24 November 2018. It the second World Twenty20 hosted by the West Indies (after the 2010 edition), and the West In ...
in the West Indies. She was the joint-leading wicket-taker for South Africa in the tournament, with six scalps in four matches. Following the competition's conclusion, the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
highlighted her as the team's standout player.
In January 2020, Ismail was named in South Africa's squad for the
2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup
The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup was the seventh ICC Women's T20 World Cup tournament. It was held in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020. The final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women's Day. Hosts ...
in Australia. She went on take five wickets in four matches, including 3/8 from 3.1 overs against
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. Her team was knocked out of the tournament via a semi-final defeat to the host nation.
On 23 July 2020, Ismail was named in South Africa's 24-woman squad to begin training in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
, ahead of their
tour to England. In February 2022, she was named in South Africa's team for the
2022 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the twelfth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, which was held in New Zealand in March and April 2022. It was originally scheduled for 6 February to 7 March 2021 but was postponed by one year due ...
in New Zealand.
In January 2021, she became the first South African to take 100 wickets in WT20Is when she achieved the feat against
Pakistan in the first WT20I of the series. In the second WT20I of the series, she registered her career best bowling figures of 5/12 which also helped her to make substantial gains in ICC Rankings and also ensured South Africa a comfortable series win with an unassailable 2–0 lead. At one stage her bowling spell which was read as 3-0-9-3 reduced Pakistan to a precarious 20 for 4. She achieved her career highest ranking of no 2 in
ICC WT20I rankings for bowlers following her career best bowling performance.
In March 2021, during South Africa's
tour of India, Ismail became the first bowler for South Africa to take 150 wickets in WODIs.
Her bowling spell of 4/44 against West Indies in the fourth and final WODI of the series in
February 2022 against the West Indies secured 2–1 series win for South Africa, making it the fifth consecutive series win for South Africa in WODIs. She also ended the series as the joint wicket taker alongside fellow South African
Ayabonga Khaka
Ayabonga Khaka (born 18 July 1992) is a South African cricketer who plays for the national cricket team as a right-arm medium bowler. In March 2018, she was one of fourteen players to be awarded a national contract by Cricket South Africa ...
with ten scalps.
In May 2022, she played five matches for the Sapphires team at the
2022 FairBreak Invitational T20
The 2022 FairBreak Invitational T20 was a women's Twenty20 cricket competition, which took place from 4 to 15 May 2022 in Dubai. The tournament, sanctioned by the ICC, was privately-run by FairBreak Global, a company that aims to promote gende ...
in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...
, United Arab Emirates, with a best performance of 3/20 against the Tornadoes team.
The following month, in the second match
against Ireland, Ismail played in her 100th WT20I.
In July 2022, she was named in South Africa's team for the
cricket tournament at the
2022 Commonwealth Games
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...
in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, England.
Honours
She won the CSA Women's Cricketer of the Year award at the 2015 annual South Africa Cricket Awards ceremony. In 2015, she was also nominated as one of the three finalists for South Africa Sportswoman of the Year at the annual South African Sports award.
In July 2020, Ismail was named women's T20 player of the year at
Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa (CSA) is the governing body for both professional and amateur cricket in South Africa. In 1991, the separate South African Cricket Union and the South African Cricket Board merged to form the United Cricket Board of South Afr ...
's annual awards ceremony.
In February 2021, Ismail was named the Women's Player of the Month in the first edition of the
ICC Player of the Month Awards.
She was also named in both
ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year
The ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year is an honour awarded each year by the International Cricket Council. It recognizes the top women's cricket players from around the world in the ODI format of the game. The team does not actually compete, but e ...
and
ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year
The ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year is an honour awarded each year by the International Cricket Council. It recognizes the top women's cricket players from around the world in the T20I format of the game. The team does not actually compete, b ...
as part of the
2021 ICC Awards.
Personal life
Ismail considers South African seamer
Andre Nel as her inspiration and role model due to his on-field aggression.
She also chose the jersey number 89 on her shirt, a number which was worn by Andre Nel when he played at international level.
She was also inspired by the physical intensity and aggression of South African seamer
Dale Steyn
Dale Willem Steyn (; born 27 June 1983) is a South African former professional cricketer who played for the South African Cricket Team. He is often regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and the best Test bowler of his genera ...
who would go about his business on the opposition batters.
In 2014, she was embroiled in an alcohol abuse incident and was one of the South African players to be briefly suspended from the National Academy. She was also ordered to undergo counselling with related to the alleged alcohol abuse.
Ismail is a practising Muslim, and is the only Muslim woman to have played international cricket for South Africa.
She has also admitted to having an
obsessive compulsive disorder
Obsession may refer to:
Psychology
* Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life
* Fixation (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea
* Idée fixe (psychology), a pre ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ismail, Shabnim
1988 births
Living people
Cricketers from Cape Town
South African Muslims
South African women cricketers
South Africa women Test cricketers
South Africa women One Day International cricketers
South Africa women Twenty20 International cricketers
Western Province women cricketers
Central Gauteng women cricketers
KwaZulu-Natal Coastal women cricketers
Melbourne Renegades (WBBL) cricketers
Sydney Thunder (WBBL) cricketers
Yorkshire Diamonds cricketers
Oval Invincibles cricketers
Cricketers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games competitors for South Africa