‘Pace is something that I focus on’ - Rising Gujarat Giants star Shabnam Shakil reflects on her performances in WPL 2024

With the second season of the WPL (Women’s Premier League) well underway, there have been many performances that have stood out in the eyes of the fans. One of the biggest up-and-coming stars of the tournament has been 16-year-old Shabnam Shakil.

Representing Gujarat Giants women in the competition, Shakil stamped her authority on the tournament after she took three wickets for just 11 runs against UP Warriorz on Monday, March 11. After her sensational performance, Shakil came forward to talk about how she loves pace bowling. Clocking 110 kph at 16 years old, Shakil’s spell dented Warriorz’ plan of qualifying to the knockouts. 

“Main ziddi hu ki mujhe pace dalna hai. Pace is something that I focus on. Mainly, I have an aggressive run-up and that is an advantage for me to generate pace. I want to improve my skillset as much as I can. Also, my coach has just told me one thing that fast bowler means bowling fast. I will tell you a story,” Shakil said in an interview with Cricketnext.

“We were having a meeting with some other coaches once. They thought that I should focus more on my swing bowling than pace. I have a good in-swinger. So, they wanted me to focus more on that,” she added.

Michael Klinger has given me a very clear picture: Shakil

Furthermore, Shakil also talked about the impact of Gujarat Giants coach Michael Klinger on her career and how he has been very impressed with her bowling prowess. 

“Michael Klinger has given me a very clear picture of my role in the side. I came close to playing in the Bengaluru leg but the combination of the team was such that I wasn’t able to play then. As I said, I had clarity regarding my role in the team. He used to give me targets in the practice sessions. We used to have match simulations. He used to keep me well-prepared for the matches,” Shakil concluded.