Muslim pacer Shabnim Ismail becomes first woman cricketer to bowl at 130kmph

South African Muslim pacer Shabnim Ismail has become the world’s first female cricketer to bowl at the speed of of 132.1Km/h (82.08 mph), the Interantional Cricket Council said on Wednesday.

According to the cricket body, the Mumbai Indians bowler achieved the feat during a match in Women’s Premier League (WPL) against the Dehli Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium in India.

In a post on the microblogging site X, the ICC said: "A historic day as Shabnim Ismail delivers the fastest delivery ever recorded in women's cricket."

“It was the first time that a delivery in women's cricket has been clocked at a speed greater than 132km/h, with Ismail's thunderbolt smashing into the pad of former Australia captain Meg Lanning on the second ball of the third over of the match,” the ICC said in a statement.

Shabnim, who represented South Africa in all eight previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cups, retired from international cricket following last year’s tournament at home soil. 

In 2016, against West Indies, she bowled with a speed of 128km/h (79.54mph) and 127km/h twice during the most recent edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2022.

After breaking the record, the right-arm pacer said that she didn’t actually look at the big screen when she was bowling.

Previously, Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick, the former all-format Australian bowler, held the title of the fastest bowler in the history of women’s cricket. 

Initially, her average bowling speed was calculated at 125km/h, but over time she reached around 132km/h.