Fast bowler Shabnim Ismail is leading South Africa’s fast-bowling attack in the second semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. In the fixture taking place at The Oval in London on Thursday (July 2) against England, she picked up one wicket in each of her first two overs.
The 37-year-old cricketer from Cape Town opened her wicket account by dismissing England opener and wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones on the first ball of her first and England’s second over of the match. Jones could only manage to score 2 runs off 4 balls before being caught by Annerie Dercksen.
The wicket of Jones helped Ismail enter her name in the history books. She is the first bowler in the world to take 50 wickets in Women’s T20 World Cup history.
The ongoing ICC Women’s
T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal between South Africa and England is Shabnim’s 38th match for South Africa in the women’s premier T20 tournament.
In the list of bowlers with the most wickets in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup history, Shabnim is followed by Australia’s Meghan Schutt. Schutt has 48 wickets to her name in 30 matches played so far.
Most wickets in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | ECONOMY | FIVE-WICKET HAULS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shabnim Ismail | South Africa | 2009-2026 | 38* | 51* | 3/5 | 6.01 | 0 |
| Meghan Schutt | Australia | 2016-2026 | 30 | 48 | 4/18 | 5.64 | 0 |
| Ellyse Perry | Australia | 2009-2026 | 53 | 44 | 3/12 | 5.8 | 0 |
| Anya Shrubsole | England | 2010-2020 | 27 | 41 | 3/6 | 5.32 | 0 |
| Marizanne Kapp | South Africa | 2009-2026 | 38* | 39* | 3/16 | 5.09 | 0 |
| Sophie Ecclestone | England | 2018-2026 | 24* | 37* | 3/7 | 4.7 | 0 |
| Amelia Kerr | New Zealand | 2018-2026 | 23 | 37 | 4/26 | 5.6 | 0 |
| Stafanie Taylor | West Indies | 2009-2026 | 40 | 33 | 4/12 | 5.95 | 0 |
| Deandra Dottin | West Indies | 2009-2026 | 41 | 32 | 5/5 | 6.53 | 1 |
| Afy Fletcher | West Indies | 2016-2026 | 29 | 32 | 3/12 | 6.26 | 0 |
| Sophie Devine | New Zealand | 2009-2026 | 42 | 31 | 4/22 | 6.39 | 0 |
In this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, Shabnim has played all six matches for South Africa so far and has dismissed 8 batters.
Shabnim Ismail in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
| AGAINST | OVER | RUNS | WICKETS | VENUE | DATE |
| Australia | 3.0 | 33 | 1 | Manchester | June 13 |
| Pakistan | 4.0 | 15 | 1 | Birmingham | June 17 |
| India | 4.0 | 28 | 2 | Manchester | June 21 |
| Netherlands | 3.0 | 31 | 1 | Bristol | June 25 |
| Bangladesh | 4.0 | 15 | 1 | Lord’s | June 28 |
| England | 3.0* | 24* | 2* | The Oval | July 2 |
Shabnim is South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in women’s international cricket. She has taken three wickets in her only Test appearance for South Africa and has claimed 191 wickets in 127 ODI matches.
In T20Is, she has picked up 131 wickets in 119 matches, making her one of the most successful fast bowlers in the history of women’s cricket.
