South African fast bowler Shabnim Ismail retired from international cricket. cricket news
Ismail, the fastest bowler in the women’s game, played a total of 241 international matches and took 317 wickets across all formats.
Ismail, 34, claimed 191 wickets in ODIs, second only to India Jhulan Goswami (255) on the all-time list.
Ismail, who last lost to Australia in the World Cup final at Newlands in February, broke the record for the fastest ball women’s cricket During that tournament he was clocked at 128 kilometers per hour (80 mph) against England in the semi-finals.
“After proudly representing my country for 16 years, I have made the difficult decision to retire from international cricket and move on to the next chapter of my life,” Ismail said in a statement on Wednesday.
“I truly believe that reducing the amount of cricket I play will help me do this, and playing in a global league is the only way I am able to fit in both family and cricket.”
Her retirement followed a trio of South African legends of the last 15 years in former captains Dan van Niekerk and Mignon du Preez and batswoman Lizelle Lee.
(With Reuters inputs)
