Shabnam Shakil did not make it into the national team for the series against South Africa, despite having a breakthrough season with the Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League. The selection committee changed its mind after two Twenty20 Internationals in Bengaluru, as Shakil was included in the squad for the third ODI, the one-off Test, and the three-match T20I series in Chennai.
In four WPL 2024 games, Shakil claimed four wickets at an economy of 7. She gained prominence when Shakil, then just 16 years old, rejected celebrities like Alyssa Healy, Chamari Athapaththu, and Nat Sciver-Brunt. Considering her age, she has every chance of succeeding in international cricket. She can also be a useful batter further down the order.
On June 20, BCCI notified and confirmed the development involving the addition of the right-arm pacer. It might take some time for her to be included in the starting lineup. The BCCI’s official release stated, “The Women’s Selection Committee on Thursday announced the addition of right-arm pacer Shabnam Shakil to India’s squad for all three formats for the ongoing multi-format series against South Africa.”
Also read: India Women declare Board President squad for ODI against South Africa
As for the three-match series, India has already won two of the ODIs. Smriti Mandhana’s century outperformed the visitors in the first game of the series. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team emerged victorious in the highly competitive second game. As captain Kaur scored 103* runs off 88 balls to help India post 325, Smriti (136 runs off 120 balls) once again rose to the occasion and produced a noteworthy century.
Despite putting up a strong fight, South Africa was unable to win the match despite centuries from Marizanne Kapp and captain Laura Wolvaardt. South Africa lost the thrilling match by four runs, despite Wolvaardt being 136 not out.
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