Trying to take positives out of the defeat, says Thunder pacer Shabnim Ismail

Sydney Thunder pacer Shabnim Ismail has said that although they lost against the table-toppers Melbourne Stars, there are a lot of positives for them to take away going forward.



"I think there's a lot of positives to take away from the game. Obviously, losing quick wickets in the powerplay put yourself in the backfoot. I still feel that the bowlers did well trying to defend the score," Ismail told the reporters after their game on Saturday (November 14).



Speaking about Rachael Haynes' valuable half-century, Ismail said that she played a captain's knock despite the lack of support from the other end. However, the 32-year-old lauded the effort showed by Phoebe Litchfield and Rachel Trenaman in the death overs to take the Thunder to a competitive score.



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"She played a captain's knock, but others couldn't come along with her. And in the back end, Phoebe Litchfield and Rachel Trenaman hitting as well as they did just show that anyone that comes out there whether you're the top order or the bottom order, just go out there and play as good as you can," said Ismail.



Chasing a sub-par 132, the Stars completed the chase in the 17th over, with eight wickets to spare. Ismail felt that despite the result, the bowlers could not execute their plans as well as they would have wanted. "We spoke about just targeting the stumps and not giving the batters any width. I think we might have gone down a bit there," she said.



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"We obviously talk about bowling, hunting in pairs as bowlers. I think the partnership between myself and Samantha Bates worked upfront. Obviously, me getting the breakthrough and the other bowlers coming into the bowling attack just for them to bowl line and length and obviously not give any width to the batters," added the South African.



On her personal performance, Ismail said that switching on and off between the games is a significant part of her game plan. "I am a big believer of once you're on the field, you just switch on. Once I step off the field, I am going to be at peace. I get back to my hotel, and obviously, think about what we could improve and just come out here tomorrow and play as well as I can," she concluded.