Experienced pacer stars as SA edge Australia in warm-up

Veteran pace bowler Shabnim Ismail admitted feeling a few nerves on her return to Proteas colours, but the fast bowler quickly found her rhythm to help SA secure a morale-boosting victory over Australia in their first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match on Sunday.

The right-arm quick, who returned to the national fold earlier this year after retiring at the end of the 2023 ICC tournament, starred with 4/39 in her first appearance since returning to the national setup as the Proteas claimed a seven-run win at Arundel Castle Cricket Club in England.

“I was really excited in that first over, but then I bowled a no-ball or two and thought, ‘Here we go again’,” Ismail said afterwards.

“It was really nice to get over the rope with the girls. I’m happy I made the choice to come back and play. It feels like a family again, and I’m happy we got the win.”

Ismail’s wickets came at crucial stages as SA successfully defended 163/7, restricting Australia to 156 in reply.

Beth Mooney led the resistance with 40 off 21 balls, while Tahlia McGrath (30 off 23) and Grace Harris (27 off 22) also made valuable contributions.

However, Ismail’s double strike in the penultimate over helped swing the contest firmly in the Proteas’ favour.

She received strong support from the rest of the bowling attack, with Ayabonga Khaka returning figures of 2/28, Nonkululeko Mlaba 2/20 and Tumi Sekhukhune 2/23.

“I was happy to pick up wickets and help us get over the line, but it’s all about doing the work in the nets and then executing in the match,” Ismail said.

“I’m still not happy with certain things, and there are areas I want to work on. As a bowling unit, though, we were confident we could defend that score.”

The victory was particularly encouraging given the quality of the opposition, with Australia remaining one of the leading forces in the women’s game.

“Australia are a world-class team with world-class players, so taking wickets at crucial times really helped us build momentum,” Ismail said.

Earlier, SA’s innings had been rescued after a shaky start. The Proteas slumped to 50/5 before an important 88-run sixth-wicket partnership between Marizanne Kapp and Kayla Reyneke revived the innings.

Kapp narrowly missed out on a half-century, striking 49 from 29 deliveries, while Reyneke contributed a composed 45 off 35 balls as the pair guided SA beyond the 160 mark.

“It’s great to have Kappie’s experience alongside Kayla. They worked really well together, and that partnership gave us momentum going into the bowling innings,” Ismail said.

“I wasn’t happy with my first over, but as the coach always says, it’s not about how you start; it’s about how you finish. I thought we finished very well as a bowling unit.”

The World Cup starts on June 12, with SA playing their opening game against Australia on June 13.