South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (right) celebrates taking a wicket. (AP Photo)

South Africa pace spearhead Shabnim Ismail etched her name into the record books by becoming the first bowler to claim 50 wickets in Women’s T20 World Cup history during the semifinal against England at The Oval on Thursday.The landmark came in Ismail’s 38th Women’s T20 World Cup appearance when she dismissed England opener Amy Jones with the very first ball of her opening over. Jones managed just two runs before edging a catch to Annerie Dercksen, handing the veteran fast bowler her historic 50th wicket in the tournament.Ismail wasn’t done there, striking again in her second over to leave England reeling at 23/3 and put South Africa firmly in control during the early stages of the semifinal.However, England recovered through a superb century partnership between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and former skipper Heather Knight before eventually securing a 40-run victory to book a Women’s T20 World Cup final against Australia.

Ismail reaches unprecedented World Cup milestone

The 37-year-old from Cape Town entered the semifinal needing just one wicket to reach the unprecedented landmark and wasted little time in achieving it.Her early breakthroughs highlighted why she remains one of the most feared fast bowlers in women’s cricket. Ismail now sits alone at the top of the all-time Women’s T20 World Cup wicket charts with 51 scalps, extending her lead over Australia’s Megan Schutt, who has 48 wickets.Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry occupies third place with 44 wickets, followed by England’s Anya Shrubsole (41) and South African teammate Marizanne Kapp (39).Already South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker in international cricket, Ismail has also amassed 191 wickets in 127 Women’s ODIs and 131 wickets in 119 T20Is, underlining her remarkable longevity and consistency across formats.Most wickets in Women’s T20 World Cups

England recover after fiery opening spell

Reflecting on her memorable opening spell, Ismail admitted the dismissal of Jones came from a delivery that was not quite as planned.“We knew she likes side dominance. Obviously, it wasn’t my best ball, to be honest, but I’ll take it any day,” she said.Despite South Africa reducing England to 33/3 in the powerplay, Ismail acknowledged the game-changing partnership between Sciver-Brunt and Knight.“If we talk about 33 off the three, we’ll take that powerplay any day. Then, obviously, we got Heather Knight and we got the skipper out there. The way they counterpunched us, the experience spoke for itself,” she said.Asked what continues to motivate her after a distinguished international career, the veteran pacer credited those closest to her.“I definitely think my family and the teammates keep me young and keep me going,” she said.While her historic milestone was one of the standout moments of the semifinal, England ultimately had the final say. Led by Sciver-Brunt’s brilliant 75, they recovered from the early collapse to post 169/5 before restricting South Africa to 129/8, ending the Proteas’ campaign and setting up a title showdown with unbeaten Australia at Lord’s.