In the world of international women’s cricket, there are some exceptionally talented bowlers who have distinguished themselves through their skill, consistency, and longevity. This article delves into the careers of the five most prolific wicket-takers in women’s international cricket: Jhulan Goswami, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Ellyse Perry, Shabnim Ismail, and Anisa Mohammed. These remarkable athletes not only have impressive statistics but have also played pivotal roles in shaping the landscape of women’s cricket, inspiring future generations and elevating the sport to new heights.
Jhulan Goswami – 355 Wickets
Jhulan Goswami, famously known as the “Chakda Express,” has taken a total of 355 wickets in 284 international matches across all forms of cricket. She made her ODI debut on January 6, 2002, against England during their tour of India, where Jhulan made her mark by taking 2 wickets in 7 overs. She has played 204 ODI matches, in which she has taken 255 wickets at an economy rate of 3.37. Her best bowling figures in ODIs are 6/31, which she achieved against New Zealand on July 5, 2011.
On August 5, 2006, she made her T20 International debut against England during India Women’s tour of Ireland and England at Derby. There, she also showcased her bowling skills, taking 2 wickets in 4 overs at an economy rate of 3.50. In total, she has taken 56 T20 International wickets in 68 matches at an excellent economy rate of 5.45.
In the red-ball format, Goswami commenced her international career on January 14, 2002, against England during their tour of India in Lucknow, where she went wicketless. In the 12 Test matches she played; she picked up a total of 44 wickets in 21 innings. Her best bowling figures in Tests are 5/25, which came against England in the one-off Test played between November 21 and November 24, 2005, in Delhi.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt – 335 Wickets
Katherine Sciver-Brunt has taken a total of 335 wickets in 267 international matches across all forms of cricket. She made her Test debut on August 21, 2004, in Scarborough against New Zealand during their tour of England, where she took 3 wickets in 2 innings. In the Test format, she has played 14 matches and taken 51 wickets in 25 innings, with her best bowling figures of 6/69 coming against Australia in Worcester on July 10, 2009, during Australia women’s tour of England.
Katherine made her ODI debut on March 13, 2005, in Klerksdorp during England women’s tour of South Africa. In ODIs, she has taken 170 wickets in 141 matches at an impressive economy rate of 3.57. Her best bowling figures in this format are 5/18, achieved against Australia in the final of the Women’s Quadrangular Series on July 7, 2011, in Wormsley.
In the T20 International format, Katherine debuted on September 2, 2005, during Australia’s tour of England in Taunton. She has played a total of 112 T20I matches, taking 114 wickets. Throughout her career, she has proven to be a formidable player in women’s cricket across all formats of the game.
Ellyse Perry – 330 Wickets
Ellyse Perry has taken a total of 330 wickets in 314 matches across all forms of cricket. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), she debuted on July 22, 2007, against New Zealand and picked up two wickets in her first match. As of September 2024, she has taken a total of 165 wickets in 147 ODI matches. Her best bowling performance came on July 7, 2019, against England during the Australia women’s tour of England at Canterbury, where she picked up 7 wickets in 10 overs.
In T20 Internationals (T20Is), Perry made her debut on February 1, 2008, against England. She delivered an all-round performance, scoring 29*(25) and taking four wickets, earning her the Player of the Match award. As of September 2024, she has picked up 126 wickets in 154 T20I matches at an economy rate of 5.83. Her best bowling figures are 4/12.
Perry’s Test debut came on February 15, 2008, against England. As of September 2024, she has taken a total of 39 wickets in just 13 Test matches (23 innings). Her best bowling spell in Tests came against their arch-rivals England, where she took 6 wickets in the second innings of the match.
Shabnim Ismail – 317 Wickets
Shabnim Ismail is a South African pacer who has picked a total of 317 wickets in 241 international matches. She made her T20I, ODI, and Test debuts in the same calendar year. She played her first ODI on January 20, 2007, against Pakistan during their tour of South Africa at Pretoria, where Shabnim impressed everyone with her speed and took 2 wickets in her debut match. In 127 ODIs, she struck 191 wickets at an economy of 3.70. Her best bowling figures are 6/10, which came against the Netherlands in 2011.
She made her Test debut on July 28, 2007, against the Netherlands during South Africa women’s tour of the Netherlands at Rotterdam, where she took 3 wickets accumulated from both innings. This was her first and last Test match, as she didn’t get another chance to play in the red-ball format.
She debuted in T20 Internationals on August 10, 2007, against New Zealand during South Africa women’s tour of England. Shabnim has had a very long T20I career, playing a total of 113 matches in which she has taken 123 wickets. Her best bowling figures came against Pakistan, where she picked up 5 wickets in 4 overs at an economy of 2.40.
Anisa Mohammed – 305 Wickets
Anisa Mohammed is West Indies’ right-arm off-break bowler, who picked 305 wickets including all forms of cricket in 258 matches. She played her first Test match against Ireland on June 27, 2008, during the West Indies women’s tour of Ireland at Dublin. In her T20 career, she has taken 125 wickets in 117 matches at an economy of 5.57. Her best bowling figures came against South Africa in 2009 where she took 5 wickets in 4 overs.
Later on, she made her ODI debut against Japan on July 26, 2003, during the International Women’s Cricket Council Trophy at Amstelveen. To date, she has taken 180 ODI wickets in just 141 matches, and her best bowling figures are 7/14, which came against Pakistan in 2011 at Mirpur.
