Pace revolution in women’s cricket

“You can prepare for the storm by latching the windows and sandbagging the doors, but when the rain comes, it’s still a surprise. And at his pace it can be deadly,” South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis had said about Australian quick Mitchell Johnson, one of the most feared pacers, a few years ago. 

Given its physical demand and the technical complexity, fast bowling - for men and women alike - is the most challenging of jobs in cricket. 

That’s perhaps the reason why the news of a delivery that broke the 130 km/hr barrier for the first time in women’s cricket a few days ago made headlines. Former South African pacer Shabnim Ismail, playing for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), set a new record of 132.1 km/hr in Delhi during a league stage clash against Delhi Capitals. The 35-year-old also topped the most dot balls’ list in the second season of WPL with a whopping 97 in the 28 overs (168 balls) she bowled in seven matches. 

“I think this (pace bowling) is the biggest area of development in women’s cricket. We have seen pacers bowl quicker recently as compared to the ones in the past. So the game is evolving,” Jon Lewis, head coach of both England women’s national team and the UP Warriorz franchise in WPL, tells DHoS. 

Shabnim (matches: 241, wickets: 317; across formats) along with the now-retired Jhulan Goswami of India (M: 284, W: 355) have been the flag bearers of fast bowling in women’s game for over 15 years. Both cricketers have had unusually long careers that continued to be mostly a lonely journey until a new crop of youngsters began arriving more regularly over the past few years when the sport became professional during that phase.

And India is on the verge of a women’s pace bowling revolution. 

“The question was always ‘Who after Jhulan?’,” says Mamatha Maben, former India captain who was a medium pace all-rounder. 

“Shikha Pandey did well and sustained. But now there are a few good ones. Titas Sadhu (19 years) could be the next big thing if guided properly. Jhulan is too big a shoes to fill. I haven’t seen that calibre and quality in anyone yet but Titas is promising. But we also need to remember that Jhulan is a once-in-a-lifetime bowler and the kind of fight she had is what made her exceptional,” says the cricketer from Karnataka, whose 6/10 in 6.2 overs against Sri Lanka in 2004 remains the best bowling figures by an Indian in women’s ODIs. 

In the recently concluded WPL, there were over 12 Indian pacers across five teams. From Renuka Singh Thakur and Meghna Singh to Pooja Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy, fast bowlers made a mark despite the squads depending on spinners heavily. The one stand out talent was 16-year-old Shabnam Shakil who became the latest addition to the pace club. The young medium pacer’s three-wicket haul for Gujarat Giants against UP Warriorz put her under the spotlight besides garnering praise from coach Michael Klinger. 

“She (Shabnam) is a bit different. She swings the ball in, not all quick bowlers do that. She is going to develop a slower ball over the next year or so which is going to make her even stronger. She can bowl cross seam as well. Her maturity is beyond her years and she’s got the work ethic, so she is only going to get stronger and fitter over time,” Klinger said.  

Standing at 5’11, the Visakhapatnam teen has the added advantage of height. Not all good fast bowlers are tall. Shabnim (Ismail) is 5’4 but physically so fit and strong that it helps her generate power and speed. The advantage of height, however, has its own perks that make a difference in mastering the art, according to Lewis, a former English fast bowler.  

“I would say that an obsession with pace in the women’s game can be unhealthy. Accuracy, movement and most importantly bounce from taller girls being harder to play will probably be what we will get to see more and more in the future. So I think, historically, most fast bowlers have been reasonably short. There are some outliers like Goswami (5’11). But now we are starting to see more tall girls, especially in England. Lauren Bell is 6’2, Mahika Gaur 6’2 (18 years) and she is still growing. Lauren Filer is 5’11.

“There are many tall girls coming in from other traditional sports like netball or basketball. I would see cricket starting to take good athletes from other sports. But I would say, within the next 3-4 years, you will see women bowling 70 miles/ hour and above regularly. You may see bowlers getting closer to 80 miles/ hour. And maybe in 10-15 years, bowling 80 miles/ hr or more may become the norm,” notes Lewis. 

With women’s cricket enjoying patronage like never before, there is a need to improve both the quantity and quality of players along with formulising methods to sustain it all. 

Australia, not surprisingly, is leading the way in this regard. They have appointed female physiotherapists to specifically understand and cater to fast bowlers in domestic women’s competitons while research is being undertaken on female physiology to find ways to increase speed and reducing injury risk. Project130 - a five-year partnership between Cricket New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) formed in 2022 - aims to help women pacers breach the 130km/h barrier regularly.

While the services of world-class physios and trainers has encouraged more women cricketers to take up pace bowling, Mamatha feels more needs to be done to constantly achieve growth and consistency.     

“Similar to how the men’s fast bowlers are taken care of with a separate coach looking after them, the women need to follow suit. There is quality but it needs more expertise and constant monitoring of improvement or guidance to help pacers stay injury free for longevity. 

“Specialised fast bowling camps where young girls are taught the nuances of fast bowling will help in the long run. We see good talent every now and then but after 2-3 years it fizzles out. That needs to be avoided. After more than 50 years of women’s cricket, it is finally getting the attention and acknowledgement. It makes me happy. Now, it is time to keep growing,” remarks Mamatha. 

The Indian men’s cricket team’s pace resources keep improving every passing year. With increased focus, the ripple effect seems only a matter of time in women’s cricket.