June 20th 2024.
On a Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that teenage fast-bowler Shabnam Shakil has been selected to join India's squad for all three formats of the ongoing series against South Africa. This decision was made by the Women's Selection Committee, as India holds a dominant 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
Shabnam hails from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and is known for her impressive skills as a right-arm fast-bowler. She was a key member of India's winning team at the ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023, where she appeared in two matches and took a single wicket.
Her father, Mohammed Shakil, a Navy official and former club cricket player, inspired Shabnam to pursue a career as a fast bowler. She has proven herself to be a formidable force on the field with her consistent stump-to-stump lines, ability to deliver bouncers, and impressive speeds exceeding 110 kmph.
In 2023, Shabnam was signed by the Gujarat Giants for the Women's Premier League for a whopping INR 10 lakh. At just 16 years old, she made her debut for the team, becoming the youngest player to do so in the league's history. Her idol is the legendary Jhulan Goswami, and she has already made a name for herself in the league with her debut performance, taking 3 wickets for just 11 runs, including bowling 19 dot balls. Notably, she dismissed star players like Alyssa Healy, Chamari Athapaththu, and her own India U-19 teammate Shweta Sehrawat.
After the ODI series in Bengaluru on June 23, India and South Africa will face off in a one-off Test match from June 28 to July 1, followed by three T20Is in Chennai. This will be India's third Test match in just seven months, having previously defeated both England and Australia in back-to-back games at Mumbai in December last year.
The T20I series, scheduled for July 5, 7, and 9, will serve as an opportunity for both India and South Africa to fine-tune their teams before the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh from October 3-20.
India's squad for the ODI series includes players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues. Meanwhile, the Test and T20I squads consist of players such as Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry, Richa Ghosh, and Sajana Sajeevan. Shabnam Shakil has been included in all three squads, along with players like Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, and Priya Punia.
Additionally, Saika Ishaque has been named as a standby player for the T20I squad. With such a strong and talented group of players, India is well-equipped to continue their winning streak and make a strong statement in the upcoming series against South Africa.
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