Helping parents on household matters including farm work was what Marufa Akter used to do a few years ago in her village in Nilphamari.
Now she is leading Bangladesh pace attack at the U-19 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa quite dazzlingly.
Her parents were against her playing cricket when she started discovering her passion for the game.
She even had to endure physical and mental agonies but those could not stop the strong will she held in herself.
What could her parents do in a society where a girl playing cricket or football is hardly accepted, and at a time when they were struggling to earn bread and butter for the family of six?
Amid objection and discouragement, Marufa had to go through a bicycle ride from her village to Syedpur Railway field every day for training.
Before that, she learned the game playing with her brother and cousins and within few days, her pace bowling was difficult to face even for the boys.
“Her family was very needy. She supported her father a lot in agricultural work and bowled against her brother,” said Marufa’s BKSP coach Fatema Tuj Zohra told Dhaka Tribune Wednesday.
Then one day Marufa got the chance to participate in the grassroots development project of Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan, but she couldn’t join after failing to arrange the money for admission fee.
But she didn’t stop playing and eventually got the chance again as the talented cricketer admitted into the country’s sole sports institute with aid from Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Since then, her life and career only took upward turn.
Marufa came into the limelight within two years as she became the highest wicket-taker in the Dhaka Premier Cricket League last season.
The right-arm pacer bagged 23 wickets in 11 matches to help BKSP finish third in the league where she emerged as the best emerging cricketer.
At the age of only 16, she was called up to the 15-member squad for the Twenty20 World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
She was also in the squad for New Zealand series.
“She is new and very young but an outstanding performer with excellent pace. I hope if she continues it, she will give support to Bangladesh team for long time,” said Fatema.
What is her specialty?
The BKSP coach replied, “She can bowl inswingers naturally. She has both pace and ability to inswing – these two combinations make her different.
“She has improved a lot in South Africa. She has become a fearless cricketer with good line length and nice pace.
“Although she came from a poor family, the experience of physical labor in agricultural work with her father give her strength and make her physically strong. She is also strong mentally.”
Marufa’s performance for national team
Marufa was selected to the national team squad in September last year for the qualifiers of the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh won the qualifiers, becoming unbeaten champions by defeating Ireland in the final.
But Marufa could not break into the playing XI in that tournament.
She was picked for the New Zealand tour where Bangladesh were scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is.
Marufa made her international debut in the second T20 of the series in Dunedin on December 4, 2022.
She took two wickets – Kiwi skipper Sophie Devine and Georgia Plimmer – in her first match and finished the game with a bowling figure of 4-0-22-2 where Bangladesh lost by 37 runs.
In the third match, Marufa picked up one wicket and conceded 42 runs in Queenstown.
Marufa made her ODI debut on December 11 in Wellington and conceded 35 runs from her five overs.
She was also picked in the second and third ODIs where she remained wicketless, but both the mathes were abandoned due to bad weather.
She has played two T20 Internationals and three ODIs so far.
How Marufa performed in the ongoing U-19 T20 WC
Marufa played all three Group A matches where Bangladesh defeated one of the tournament favorites Australia, then Sri Lanka and finally USA.
She also played the two warm-up games where Bangladesh defeated South Africa and India.
Marufa has impressed with her pace and accuracy and bowled well in every game.
She took three wickets against the Proteas U-19 women in the warm-up game, leaking just 13 runs without success, and giving away only 24 runs from four overs against the Indians.
In the tournament proper, against Australia in the opening match, Marufa took two wickets conceding 29 runs.
She also bagged two wickets leaking 19 runs against Sri Lanka and in the last match against the Americans she picked up one wicket.
Marufa has notched five wickets with an economy rate of 5.41 and strike rate of 14.4 after the group stage.
