The ICC has reported that Mumbai Indians’ Shabnim Ismail sent down a 132.1kph delivery, the fastest ball ever in women’s cricket history, during the 2024 WPL clash yesterday (March 5). But, there is reason to believe that the claim could be inaccurate.

What happened?

Ismail reportedly broke the record with the second ball of the third over during her side’s clash with Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The full-length delivery smashed into the pads of Meg Lanning but, as it was sliding down leg, Mumbai did not review.

The particular ball is now being deemed as the fastest ever in women’s history but what casts doubt over its authenticity is that the speed gun clocked it as being bowled at 138.3kph initially, which was soon adjusted to 132.1kph (80mph). No player has breached 80mph on record in women’s cricket ever, which, given the significance of the ball should the speed be accurate, has lead to increased scrutiny over how accurate the speedometer was on Tuesday.

Is it accurate?

This is not the first time that the speed gun has malfunctioned in the WPL either. Last year, Ellyse Perry was shown as sending down a 130.5kph delivery, approximately 15kph more than her normal speeds. It was soon termed an error. In another instance, Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana was shown to have bowled a 175kph ball in the 2020 Under-19 World while India’s Umran Malik apparently bowled a 156kph delivery against Sri Lanka, the fastest-ever in ODI history. Another time, England’s Lauren Bell was shown to have bowled a 107mph (172.2kph) thunderbolt against India in 2022.

There was another strange coincidence that did not go unnoticed: A few deliveries before Ismail’s “fastest ball”, a poll was aired on broadcast which asked viewers whether the South Africa pacer could breach 130kph in the ongoing WPL. A couple of deliveries later, she was shown to have breached 138.3kph, which was then adjusted to 132.1kph.

IMO Ismail probably has reached 130+ in one or more of her many matches that haven't been covered by broadcasters/ball tracking, but this whole sequence unfortunately looked suspect (and completely unnecessarily manufactured, for what is already an undeniably great league).

— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) March 5, 2024

With the ICC also posting about Shabnim Ismail breaking the "130km/h barrier" at #WPL2024, it adds an irrefutable degree of legitimacy to her feat. That said, and having followed women's cricket and some of its misfiring speed guns over the years, I'll admit I'm still conflicted.

— Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha) March 6, 2024

A very important thread. If there's anyone who can do this 130+kmph thing, it is Shabnim Ismail but how did the speed gun adjust from 138.3 to 132.1kmph? Why was that adjustment not explained?

Some help would make legitimising feats like this easier in a world where women… https://t.co/KHJI67h2fv

— Lavanya 🎙️🎥👩🏻‍💻 (@lav_narayanan) March 6, 2024

But while in all other instances, it was clear from the onset that the speed gun had erred because of how extreme the results were, it is not this time. Ismail is regarded as arguably the quickest bowler in women’s cricket, having bowled at 128kph (79.54mph) in 2016. She also sent down two balls at 127kpm during the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup and has admittedly worked towards increasing her pace over the years. With the speed guns not being available for every women’s game, there is also a strong possibility that Ismail could have bowled over 130kph previously. Her touching 132.1kph, while still unrealistic, is not far-fetched.

After the innings break, the on-air commentators congratulated Ismail for her achievement but Mumbai Indians bowling coach Jhulan Goswami said she was not aware if her bowler had touched the 130kph mark after the game.

Ismail’s feat is making waves as it should with the ICC even confirming she delivered the fastest recorded ball in her sport on Tuesday but doubts will remain. This is not belittling her toil or her skills but given that the speed guns have made mistakes previously and that Ismail’s speed was adjusted over six kilometres on that ball, it should not be taken at face value.

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