South Africa pacer Shabnim Ismail announces retirement from international cricket

Veteran South Africa pacer Shabnim Ismail brought the curtains down on a glittering career on Wednesday by announcing her retirement from the international game.

Ismail, considered among the quickest in the women’s game, last played for South Africa in the T20 World Cup earlier this year in which the spirited Sune Luus-led Proteas made it all the way to the final, where they ended up losing against defending champions Australia. The pacer retires with 127 ODIs and 113 T20Is under her belt besides a solitary Test appearance against Netherlands in 2007. She retires with more than 300 international wickets to her credit, 191 of which have come in ODIs alone.

In a statement shared by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on social media, Ismail said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family after a 16-year run with the Proteas.

“After 16 years proudly representing my country, I have come to the difficult decision to retire from international cricket and move on to the next chapter of my life.

“As any athlete knows, training and competing at your best requires much sacrifice and dedication, and I now find myself wanting to spend more time with my family, particularly my siblings and parents as they get older. They have always been my biggest support and I want to be able to be there for them in the way they have been there for me over the past 16 years,” Ismail said in the statement.

SHABNIM ISMAIL RETIRES