South Africa spearhead pace Shabnim Ismail etched her name in the record books by becoming the first bowler to claim 50 wickets in Women’s T20 World Cup history during the semi-final against England at the Oval on Thursday.The landmark came in Ismail’s 38th Women’s T20 World Cup, when she dismissed England opener Amy Jones with the first ball of her opening over. Jones managed just two runs before he bowled Annerie Dercksen, handing the veteran fast bowler his historic 50th wicket in the tournament.Ismail wasn’t done there, striking again in his second over to leave England 23/3 and put South Africa firmly in control during the early stages of the semi-final.However, England recovered through a superb century partnership between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and former skipper Heather Knight before securing a 40-run win to book a Women’s T20 World Cup final against Australia.
Ismail reaches an unprecedented stage of the World Cup
The 37-year-old from Cape Town entered the semi-final needing just one wicket to reach the unprecedented landmark and wasted little time in achieving it.Her early performances highlighted why she remains one of the most feared fast bowlers in women’s cricket. Ismail now stands alone at the top of the all-time Women’s T20 World Cup charts with 51 scalps, extending her lead over Australia. Megan Schuttwho has 48 wickets.Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry is third with 44 wickets, followed by England’s Anya Shrubsole (41) and fellow South African Marizanne Kapp (39).Already South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in international cricket, Ismail has also amassed 191 wickets in 127 women’s ODIs and 131 wickets in 119 T20Is, underlining her remarkable longevity and consistency across all formats.Most wickets in the Women’s T20 World Cup
- 51 – Shabnim Ismail (SA) *
- 48 – Megan Schutt (AUS)
- 44 – Ellyse Perry (AUS)
- 41 – Anya Shrubsole (ENG)
- 39 – Marizanne Kapp (SA)
England recover after fiery opening spell
Reflecting on his memorable opening spell, Ismail admitted that Jones’ dismissal came from a delivery that was not as expected.“We know he likes lateral dominance. Obviously, it wasn’t my best dance, to be honest, but I’ll take it any day,” he said.Despite South Africa reducing England to 33/3 in the powerplay, Ismail acknowledged the partnership of the game between Sciver-Brunt and Knight.“If we’re talking about 33 off the three, we’ve got to take that powerplay every day. So, obviously, we’ve got Heather Knight and we’ve got the skipper out there. The way they played against us, the experience spoke for itself,” he said.Asked what continues to motivate her after a distinguished international career, the veteran pacer credited those closest to her.“I definitely think my family and teammates keep me young and keep me going,” he said.While his historic goal was one of the highlights of the semi-final, England ultimately had the last word. Sparked by Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant 75, they recovered from an early collapse to post 169/5 before restricting South Africa to 129/8, ending the Proteas’ campaign and setting up a title challenge with unbeaten Australia at Lord’s.
