Bismah Maroof, the captain of Pakistan in the ICC ODI World Cup, becmae the first Pakistani to return to national duty post maternity leave. Her side faces Mithali Raj’s India on Sunday at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. 

Maroof came to New Zealand with her child. She had taken a maternity leave in December 2020 and gave birth to a baby girl in August 2021.

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“A child needs the mother. If I had to continue my career, the question would have been – where would my kid go? And if I’m on the field, who will take care of the kid? Hiring a nanny and taking her along everywhere is expensive, and as women cricketers, we don’t earn as much to afford such luxuries. Our contracts help us survive and make a living, but without a parental policy, it would’ve become difficult to continue playing with a child around,” she said arriving in New Zealand. 

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Who is Bismah Maroof? 

The first Pakistani woman to score 1,000 runs in ODIs for Pakistan, Bismah Maroof hails from Lahore. She made her national debut at the age of 15. 

Maroof has represented Pakistan in over 200 matches and captained the side between 2013 and 2020. 

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She pursued medicine at Lahore College for Women University. However, while in college, the 30-year-old took up cricket full-time. Maroof was a part of the Pakistan squad at the 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup in Australia. She was also a part of the team that won a gold medal against Bangladesh at the 2010 Asian Games in China. 

She was appointed as Pakistan’s skipper in 2017 when the team locked horns with New Zealand in the UAE. After being shortlisted as one of the Women’s Cricketer of the Year for the 2020 PCB Awards, Maroof announced that she was taking an indefinite break from cricket “as motherhood beckons”. She gave birth to a girl in August 2021 and in December announed her availability for the 2022 World Cup.