Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter made a sensational start to her Women’s World Cup campaign in her very first match against Pakistan. The 20-year-old impressed with her lethal inswing bowling, drawing comparisons from cricket experts to top male pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc.
Marufa made an instant impact by dismissing two key Pakistan batters for golden ducks in the opening over.
Opener Omaima Sohail fell to a sharply swinging delivery that hit the leg stump, while Sidra Amin was bowled in the same manner on the very next ball. Her twin strikes put Pakistan immediately on the back foot and disrupted their batting rhythm.
Bangladesh went on to secure a comfortable seven-wicket victory, with Marufa Akter earning the ‘Player of the Match’ award for her match-winning performance. Her debut signals the rise of a promising talent in women’s cricket.
‘They wouldn’t invite us to various gatherings’
Marufa, a native of Nilphamari in Bangladesh, is now enjoying the limelight, but her journey has instilled a sense of humility. She has shared that growing up, her family faced ongoing financial challenges, shaping her resilient and grounded outlook.
“They wouldn’t invite us to various gatherings (like weddings), saying we didn’t have proper clothes. If we go there, we’ll lose our respect – that’s what they used to say (tears). There was a time when we couldn’t even afford new clothes for Eid (tears),” Marufa said.
Watch Video
pic.twitter.com/9xJhtiWfgD
— ! (@mediaaccccccccc) October 13, 2025
“My father is a farmer. We didn’t have much money, and even the people in the village where I grew up weren’t very supportive,” Marufa said.
Marufa now takes pride in being a supportive daughter, providing for and standing by her family.
“Actually, the position we are in now – others aren’t quite there. The way I support my family, perhaps many boys can’t do the same. That gives me a special kind of peace. As a child, I used to wonder when people would look at us with admiration and applaud. Now, when I see myself on TV, I feel shy (laughs),” Marufa added.
