Mother still doesn’t want me to play cricket: Marufa

Marufa Akter is a trailblazer in more ways than one.

Not only is she one of the most impressive female fast bowlers the country has ever produced, but she is also the inspiration for many young girls from rural parts of the country.

Growing up in Nilphamari, Marufa is the youngest of four, with two older brothers and one older sister.

Her father, who is a farmer and mother, who is a homemaker didn't support Marufa's aspirations of becoming a cricketer.

Even now, her mother isn't supportive of her playing despite her representing the national team and being one of the brightest young talents in it.

"My mother still wants me to stop playing and stay home like the other girls," Marufa tells The Business Standard in an exclusive interview. 

Marufa detailed her journey into cricket and the many challenges she faced on her way to the national team. 

"From a very young age, all I wanted to do is play sports. When I was younger, I would play football with the other boys. Some of them used to tease me and say 'We don't want to take you in our team and play football with you.' But I was still determined to prove myself. However, my older brother (Al Amin Islam) told me that playing football is risky as you may break your leg. Instead, he took me with him when he would play cricket and always told me 'Just play, you will do something good in cricket.' So he was my biggest support here," Marufa says.

Al Amin saw the talent in Marufa and got Marufa admitted into a local cricket academy in Nilphamari.

"A senior uncle Nazmul Huda, who worked at a tower in my area also saw my cricketing talent, thanks to my brother taking me to play cricket with him in the area, and he told us about a cricket academy in Nilphamari," she said. 

"When the people from the academy came to my house to get me admitted, my father didn't have the admission fee of Tk1,200 for it. I was crying because I really wanted to get admitted. That's when my other brother, Habibur Rahman, paid them the money and I got in," she explains. 

Marufa got admitted into the local academy in 2018 where her coach Imran was very supportive of her and believed that she could eventually make it big: "He used to always tell me that my bowling and fielding is even better

than a lot of the boys and I have a big future ahead of me."

Eventually, people from BKSP came to see the local talent in the academy to recruit them into their academy that year.

Marufa would get selected: "I got the opportunity to participate in BKSP's training camp in 2018. But due to my exams, I couldn't continue there. I had to wait three more years and finally got admitted in 2021."

During that three-year wait came Covid and cricket stopped and Marufa had to help her father out in farming to keep financially afloat.

She gives credit to the current head coach of Maldives, Fatema Tuz Zohra, who was working in BKSP in 2021 and helped Marufa shine there. 

Marufa took 23 wickets in the Dhaka Premier League at an economy of 3.21 in 11 matches for BKSP in that year and that got her into the national team for the first time. 

"Fatima mam used to always tell me to look forward to the future and forget the struggles in the past. She could have easily not selected me for the team but she always made sure I played and bowled my quota of 10 overs. That eventually led to me getting a call-up into the national team," she explains. 

Although Marufa's favourite cricketer and idol is India's Hardik Pandya, her bowling has a searing inswinging yorker, which can be classified as her biggest weapon and is one of the most impressive yorkers in the women's game currently.

She revealed that she likes Australia pacer Mitchell Stac's bowling as well.

The 18-year-old Marufa doesn't want to set any particular goals for herself as her career just started but she does want to play in the different franchise leagues if the opportunity comes.

"My target is to continuously bring my national team good results. And hopefully, soon I will get an opportunity to play in the Big Bash and the IPL too."  

Marufa had to take the job of pace bowling spearhead with experienced pacer Jahanara Alam not selected in the national setup due to disciplinary reasons. 

She explained that she tried to remain as calm as possible despite the added weight of expectation. 

She was also handed the last over of the match with India needing three runs and Bangladesh needing one wicket to win. 

With India needing one run to win and the match tied, Marufa managed to take the last wicket of Meghna Singh to tie the series and share the trophy.

"The seniors kept encouraging me and telling me that I can do it so that really inspired me throughout the series and especially in the final over in the match."

Marufa understands that there are many girls like her wanting to play cricket in rural parts of the country and not getting the opportunity to do so due to social stigmas attached with women playing sports.

"If parents allow their girls to play, they can also do something good for the country and for their families. Slowing things are changing for the better I feel."