South Africa Shabnim Ismail etched her name into the record books by becoming the first bowler to take 50 wickets in the history of the T20 Women’s World Cup during the semi-final against England at The Oval on Thursday.The turning point came in Ismail’s 38th Women’s World Cup T20 appearance, when she dismissed England opener Amy Jones on the very first ball of her opening. Jones managed just two runs before being caught by Annerie Dercksen, giving the veteran fast bowler her historic 50th wicket of the tournament.Ismail wasn’t done there, she struck again in her second over to leave England at 23/3 and put South Africa in firm control during the early stages of the semi-final.However, England bounced back thanks to a superb century partnership between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and former captain Heather Knight before eventually securing a 40-run victory for the Women’s World Cup T20 final against Australia.
Ismail achieved an unprecedented milestone at the World Cup
The 37-year-old from Cape Town entered the semi-finals needing just one wicket to reach the unprecedented milestone and wasted little time in doing so.Her early successes highlighted why she remains one of the most feared fast bowlers in women’s cricket. Ismail now sits alone at the top of the women’s T20 World Cup all-time wickets chart with 51 scalps, extending her lead over the Australian Megan Schuttwhich has 48 doors.Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry ranks third with 44 wickets, followed by England’s Anya Shrubsole (41) and South African teammate Marizanne Kapp (39).Already South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in international cricket, Ismail also amassed 191 wickets in 127 Women’s ODIs and 131 wickets in 119 T20Is, highlighting her remarkable longevity and consistency across formats.Most wickets in 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 recovered after a fiery opening
Reflecting on her memorable opening spell, Ismail admitted that Jones’ dismissal came because of a delivery that didn’t quite go to plan.“We knew she likes to dominate the side. Obviously, it wasn’t my best ball to be honest, but I’ll take it any day,” she said.Despite South Africa reducing England to 33/3 in the powerplay, Ismail credited the partnership between Sciver-Brunt and Knight as changing the game.“If we’re talking 33 from three, we’ll take that powerplay any day. Then, obviously, we’ve got Heather Knight and we’ve got the captain there. The way they countered, the experience spoke for itself,” she said.Asked what motivates her further after a notable international career, the veteran gave credit to her loved ones.“I definitely think my family and teammates keep me young and keep me going,” she said.Although her historic milestone was one of the highlights of the semi-final, England ultimately had the last word. Led by Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant 75, they recovered from an early collapse to score 169/5 before restricting South Africa to 129/8, ending the Proteas’ campaign and setting up a title showdown with unbeaten Australia at Lord’s.
