South Africa have turned back to raw pace, convincing 37-year-old Shabnim Ismail to shelve retirement and lead the attack at this year’s T20 World Cup. The decision, announced on Tuesday, ends a two-year absence for the quickest bowler in the women’s game and neatly sums up coach Mandla Mashimbyi’s priority: more speed, more wickets, one step further.
“When I got the job, one of the things was to see why she’s not part of the team,” Mashimbyi explained. “With the time that I had to the ODI World Cup, I didn’t have much time to have those conversations but after that I contacted her. I said that whenever she’s ready, she can give me a call and in the last month or so, those talks took a positive turn.”
The numbers back his approach. Since signing off from international cricket in 2024, Ismail has taken 99 wickets in 90 T20 matches across the Hundred, WBBL, WCPL and WPL. Only spinners Hayley Matthews and Jess Jonassen have more in that period. South Africa’s most productive seamer, Nadine de Klerk, relies on variations rather than outright pace, and there is no obvious speed-merchant in the next tier. Little wonder Mashimbyi calls Ismail’s return a “no-brainer”.
The coach first floated the idea after a 1-4 series defeat in New Zealand, where the attack lacked bite save for Ayabonga Khaka. Ismail, by her own admission, needed time.
“There was a point where he actually gave me a call. He said, ‘Take your time to make the decision. I’m not forcing you to play, but I really need and want you to come back and help us win the World Cup,’” she recalled. “He also mentioned to me that we are missing that one pace element. It’s not that I’m going to be the magic stick, but I’m hoping that when we get to the World Cup, I can try and make a difference or try and help the youngsters with my skill and my seniority. To be honest, I don’t actually think the team needs me. I think they’ve been doing phenomenally well.”
South Africa have indeed progressed without her, finishing runners-up at the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 ODI edition, yet the silverware remains elusive. Mashimbyi, in post since late 2025, sees experience as the missing link and has not stopped at Ismail.
Former captain Dane van Niekerk, 33, is also back after her own dramatic exit: she failed a fitness test on the eve of the 2023 T20 World Cup, was left out, then called time on her career. By December last year she had unretired and now counts nine further caps, though minor injuries kept her out of the recent tours. Selection convenor Clinton du Preez confirmed her inclusion for the World Cup.
“She’s been working whilst being off and she’s currently also doing some work at the academy at the HPC which is also good to see. She’s ready and fit and it was a strategic decision to include her. Within our batting lineup, she has something we believe we require from a stability point of view and also the impact she can make with experience in that middle order,” du Preez said.
Van Niekerk’s leg-spin offers another option on surfaces expected to tire across a tournament heavily loaded with back-to-back fixtures, but it is her nous with the bat – particularly against spin – that excites the selectors. Her role may overlap with Sune Luus, yet the staff argue that depth is essential if the side are to cross the final hurdle.
The broader squad has retained its core: Laura Wolvaardt leads; Marizanne Kapp anchors the all-round department; Khaka continues as the control bowler. Younger players such as Annerie Dercksen and Eliz-Mari Marx keep their places after impressing on the New Zealand trip.
A quick glance at the fixture list underlines the urgency. South Africa open against Sri Lanka in Kimberley, then face Australia and India inside five days. Ismail’s average speed in domestic cricket still nudges 122 kph – brisk by women’s standards – and the management believe those early group matches could hinge on powerplay breakthroughs. Shorter boundaries at two of the venues only heighten the need for wicket-taking rather than mere containment.
For Ismail, the goal is straightforward: bow out – again – with a medal. She has hinted this is a one-tournament deal, though she prefers to keep the future open.
“I didn’t see myself playing international cricket at 37,” she laughed in the CSA video. “But here I am, boots laced, ready to roll.”
Her team-mates seem equally welcoming. Wolvaardt called her “the energy we’ve been missing” in a social-media post, while Kapp, her long-time new-ball partner, simply wrote, “Back where she belongs.” Casual observers might note the sentimentality, yet the strategic angle is clear: when the margins are this fine, proven class is worth the phone call.
Whether the plan pays off will unfold over three intense weeks. For now, South Africa have gambled on pace and experience – attributes they believe can finally convert promise into a trophy.
