Former Pakistan cricket captain Bismah Maroof remembers the look of confusion that silenced her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Fatima’s typically beaming face as she bid a tearful farewell to her national team-mates in Karachi on Thursday.
“She had never seen us like this before,” Maroof, 32, told Al Jazeera, hours after ending her 17-year international career.
“Neither my teammates nor I could hold back; It was an emotional farewell as I left the Pakistan squad and headed to my hometown Lahore. Of course, Fatima couldn’t understand any of it.”
Maroof’s decision to quit international cricket came as a surprise, not least because of its timing – a day before Pakistan’s opening match of the home T20 International series in Karachi against the West Indies. She was part of the 16-member squad for this mission.
“To be honest, it wasn’t a sudden decision,” said Maroof, Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs and T20Is. “I had been thinking about retiring from the national team for a long time and with the T20 World Cup just four months away, it felt only fair that I quit before the T20I series against the West Indies .
“I wasn’t sure if I could last until the World Cup, so it was best that in the run-up to the World Cup I made way for the players who deserved a decent run.
“The time was right for my Pakistani teammates and my family”
“At this stage of my life,” said Maroof, who captained Pakistan in 96 matches – 62 in T20Is and 34 in ODIs, “I felt that my family should come first, so I discussed the matter with them and judged them just as objectively as I could.”
“It was never easy leaving a team I’ve been a part of since I first joined as a 15-year-old. But the time was right, for the sake of my Pakistan teammates and my family.”
Pakistan Zindabad! pic.twitter.com/6otSXiXnnI
– Bismah Maroof (@maroof_bismah) April 25, 2024
For someone who had become a regular companion of Maroof on pretty much every tour since her inspiring return to professional cricket in March 2022 after giving birth, it was fitting that her daughter would spend her final moments in the Pakistan dressing room as an international cricketer witnessed.
Not surprisingly, the social media graphic that carried Maroof’s resignation announcement also showed a picture of her walking away holding her daughter’s hand.
The symbolism associated with Fatima in Maroof’s career is key to understanding the athlete’s imprint in her sport, particularly in the context of the subcontinent.
Her legacy, after all, will not only be defined by her achievements as captain or her record of 6,262 runs in 276 limited international appearances, but also by her decision to return to cricket’s top league in March 2022, as captain no less, six months later the birth of her first child, Fatima.
“After embracing motherhood, I have never seen Bismah unable to balance her professional and non-professional roles,” said Maroof’s close friend and long-time Pakistan teammate Javeria Khan, who retired from international cricket last month , told Al Jazeera.
“With their mother Nighat by their side, both of them have created an example from Bismah – that a Pakistani woman can play cricket at the highest level after giving birth.”
“She is a true icon and inspiration to so many. Pakistan cricket was truly blessed to have a player like Bismah.”
A silent contributor ♥️
Aunt, words are not enough to describe your post.
You helped Bismah pursue cricket after the arrival of Fatima. I don’t think she would have gotten along without you. Mothers like you help their daughters climb huge mountains.
The… pic.twitter.com/LCks0Ahibv
– Javeria Khan (@ImJaveria) April 25, 2024
“Be a role model for women around the world”
In this part of the world, it is a rarity for female cricketers to play sport at the highest level after marriage, let alone after having a child. In that sense, Maroof was an outlier.
Her pregnancy had prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to introduce a paid maternity leave policy for the first time and Maroof was the first beneficiary.
When she came out of maternity leave to lead Pakistan in the 2022 ODI World Cup in New Zealand, leading voices in the sport, including her contemporaries, hailed her as a trailblazer. “…setting an example for women around the world,” star Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana wrote on her Instagram story with a viral picture of Fatima in Maroof’s arms surrounded by the Indian players after the India vs Pakistan match in World tournament.
“When I think about my return after giving birth two years ago, I still ask myself, ‘Arre, maine yeh kaise kar liya?’ (How did I do that?),'” Maroof said with a smile.
“It wasn’t easy because Fatima had to be breastfed for almost two years. Balancing my motherly duties with my play commitments was challenging – physically and emotionally. Without these policies or the support of my mother, father and husband, I would not have been able to play for so long.”
Under the PCB policy, Pakistan’s centrally contracted cricketers are entitled to up to 12 months of paid maternity leave and receive a contract extension for the following year as well as several other benefits on either side of the birth.
While no Pakistani cricketer has subsequently made use of this arrangement, Maroof claimed that the PCB’s handling of her pregnancy could serve as a case study for other cricketing nations, particularly in South Asia.
“I remember when I took maternity leave, I was overwhelmed by the guilt of not having done enough for Pakistan cricket, but the maternity policy strengthened my desire and determination to make a comeback,” Maroof said. “I thought, ‘If the board was going to do so much for me, I had to do my best to come back to the Pakistan side.’
“I still had a lot of cricket left in me and wanted to share my experiences with my other teammates, especially the younger ones.”
Looking back, Maroof describes this decision as one of the most “formative” not only in her career, but also in her life. “In our South Asian culture, it is not common for women to become mothers, play professional sports and carry their child with them during sporting events. Because of this rarity, I knew that my motherhood would be covered in the global media, so it was imperative to try to do my best for my country and also highlight the role of everyone, including my teammates, in making this journey possible. “
A stylish left-hander who also played bowling, Maroof witnessed women’s cricket in both its infancy and its current professional incarnation in Pakistan. After making her debut against India in 2006, she represented her country at the 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022 ODI World Cups and has featured in all eight editions of the T20 World Cup to date – from 2009 to 2023.
She took over the T20I captaincy from the legendary Sana Mir in June 2016 and the ODI duties in September 2017.
“When I started playing cricket, very few people knew that there was a women’s cricket team in Pakistan. Even I had no idea about women’s cricket,” said Maroof. “But things have changed over time. There is now greater acceptance of girls playing cricket in Pakistani society. In fact, I have seen parents encouraging their daughters to take up cricket. Social media has also played a big role in taking women’s cricket to places where it didn’t have a presence.”
A groundbreaking story for Pakistan women’s cricket
Sana Mir, who replaced Maroof, wrote on her social media account May your decision bring you peace.
“You have been a wonderful ambassador and a rock in Pakistan’s batting line-up.”
Under Maroof’s captaincy, Pakistan defeated higher-ranked New Zealand in ODIs for the first time in 2017. As the Pakistani woman with the most appearances in the format, she counts this victory among her career highlights, alongside the two gold medal triumphs in the 2009 and 2010 Asian Games ODIs.
“For me, one of my greatest learnings from the 17 years I have worn the national jersey is the discipline that cricket has taught me through the ups and downs of my career and the ups and downs of women’s cricket in Pakistan,” Maroof said .
“It built my core and my identity.”
Apart from playing league cricket, Maroof said she hasn’t given much thought to what her life might look like after her international retirement. A self-professed woman of few words, she believes she is not cut out for commentary but promises to keep a close eye on the development of women’s football in Pakistan.
“The problems that my generation of female cricketers or those before us like Sana experienced no longer exist,” she said. “But there is pressure of expectation on the younger ones. And to meet these expectations, our national structure must be strengthened and brought into line with the standard of international cricket.
“I hope to see Pakistan among the top four international teams as there is no shortage of talent in our country.”
A little support might be all that’s needed, as Maroof’s groundbreaking story proves.