Sydney Thunder have suffered a major setback just weeks before the start of their WBBL title defence, with South African star Shabnam Ismail ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.

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Shabnam Ismail misses out on fifth and final ODI of South Africa’s series:

Shabnam Ismail missed the fifth and final ODI of South Africa’s series against West Indies in the Caribbean. Who took 3 wickets for 31 runs in the third match. But instead of going to Australia to begin her quarantine period before the WBBL, she will head home to South Africa to rehabilitate her knee.

This is a blow! Shabnim Ismail, who was player of the match in last season's final, has been ruled out of #WBBL07 due to a knee injury.

We'll miss seeing you in the lime green, Shabnim! @ThunderBBL pic.twitter.com/d3XKTA45Rt

— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) September 27, 2021

Unfortunately Shabnam will not be able to play in this season’s WBBL tournament:

Thunder coach Trevor Griffin said, “He played a poor innings and unfortunately Shabnam Ismail will miss this season’s WBBL event.” “This is terrible news as she has been a key member of Sydney Thunder over the past few seasons.

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“He showed his class in the final against Melbourne Stars at the North Sydney Oval last year. I’m equally disappointed for him because I know how much he enjoys being a part of…the WBBL.”

Shabnam Ismail was the Player of the Final last season after defeating Melbourne Stars pair Alysse Villani and Meg Lanning:

Shabnam Ismail was the Player of the Final last season after defeating Melbourne Stars pair Alysse Villani and Meg Lanning. Which helped the Thunder claim the title. The Thunder are also without England pair Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont who were unavailable despite the cancellation of England’s tour of Pakistan.

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They have managed to find two excellent replacements, signing India’s pair of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma.

Meanwhile, India teammates Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav have signed with cross-town rivals Sydney Sixers.

The WBBL begins on 14 October following India’s ongoing multi-format series against Australia, with the first 20 matches to be played in Tasmania.