Bismah Maroof

Bismah Maroof is a former Pakistani cricketer who played as an all-rounder. She was a left-handed batter and a right-arm leg break bowler.

Early life and education

Born on 18 July 1991 into a Kashmiri family, Maroof grew up with parents who were well-educated. They initially encouraged her to pursue an academic career in the field of medicine. Her interest in cricket developed during her late teens. While attending Lahore College for Women University, her passion for the sport peaked. She eventually decided to leave her medical ambitions behind to enter the cricketing sphere after completing high school.

She entered the Pakistan national set-up at the age of 15.

Career

Maroof made her ODI debut against India on 13 December 2006 during the 2006 Women's Asia Cup. She scored 43 runs from 76 balls while opening the batting in that match. Her WT20I debut occurred on 29 May 2009 against Ireland at the 2009 RSA T20 Cup. She was a member of the squad for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup in Australia. Later, she helped the team win a gold medal against Bangladesh at the 2010 Asian Games in China.

She served as vice-captain during the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea, where Pakistan won a second successive gold medal. In 2016, she became the captain of the Pakistan women T20I side. Although a hand injury ruled her out of the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup, she later replaced Sana Mir as the national captain. On 11 October 2017, she led the team in a series against New Zealand in the UAE. During this period, Pakistan achieved their first-ever ODI victory against New Zealand.

Under her leadership, Pakistan achieved a 3-0 clean sweep against Sri Lanka in an ODI series in March 2018. She was also the leading run-scorer for Pakistan during the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup with 143 runs. In October 2018, she opted to step aside from captaincy for the ICC Women's World Twenty20 to allow Javeria Khan to lead. Before this tournament, she underwent eye surgery to address a sinus problem.

Maroof returned as skipper in January 2019 for a series against the West Indies. She was named captain of the Women's Global Development Squad in October 2019. While leading the squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, she broke her right thumb during a match against England on 28 February 2020. This injury prevented her from participating in the remainder of that tournament.

In June 2022, she became the highest runs scorer for the Pakistan women's cricket team in both ODI and T20I formats. She holds a world record for scoring 3,017 runs in Women's ODIs without a single career century. Maroof played domestic cricket for Lahore, Pakistan Universities, and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited. She stepped down from her role as all-format captain in March 2023. On 25 April 2024, she announced her retirement from international cricket.

Personal life

Maroof took an indefinite break from professional cricket in April 2021 to focus on motherhood. She became the first Pakistani cricketer to benefit from the Pakistan Cricket Board's maternity policy. She gave birth to a baby girl in August 2021. Following this, she confirmed her availability for return in December 2021.

Awards and recognition

Maroof was shortlisted as one of the Women's Cricketer of the Year for the 2020 PCB Awards in December 2020. She received a nomination for the May 2022 ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award after an impressive T20 series against Sri Lanka. On 23 March 2023, she was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. This is the fourth-highest civilian honour in Pakistan.