Marufa, who pulled the plow with her father, is the dream of thousands of young girls today.

 

Marufa, who pulled the plow with her father, is the dream of thousands of young girls today

Published: 26 November 2025 :

The humid afternoon air of Nilphamari was silent all around. When the whole world came to a standstill during the Corona days, the burden of cultivating the paddy field fell on the shoulders of a teenage girl. No tractor, no cows; just a wooden yoke, her thin legs stuck in the mud, and an indomitable will. She was pulling the plow, mud was splashing around, and her sunburned skin seemed to be saying, “If you want to survive, you have to fight.”

Cricket was a distant dream then, just a game of throwing the ball against the wall with my brothers in the fading evening light. Two or two and a half years later, that same girl, Marufa Akhter, stood on the World Cup field, the red and green of Bangladesh on her chest, and the gallery trembled at her name. Marufa was born on January 1, 2005, into a poor farming family. Her father spent his days in the fields and fields, while her mother was busy with household chores. When school and sports were closed due to the coronavirus, Marufa went down to the fields with her father. 

She was not sure what she would have for dinner the next day, but she would always take it out when she picked up the ball. She says, “We didn’t know what we would eat the next day. Still, I would find time to practice bowling, even if it was against the wall.”

 Her brothers taught her how to hold a bat, throw a ball, and dream. But many in the village would smile and ask, “Can I play cricket again as a girl?” Marufa wouldn’t listen to that. She told her mother, “I will work, take care of the house… but I won’t give up playing.” And she promised her father, “One day I will become a cricketer and show everyone.”

Childhood coach Likhon Islam still can't forget Marufa from the first day. "Her speed, fielding, enthusiasm, everything was different. Her reflexes were further honed by playing with boys," he said. She didn't have a bat or pad, she used to play with the coach's equipment. Likhon sent that girl to Dhaka's famous sports institute BKSP. There, Marufa's bowling became smoother; she learned the art of ball control.

After taking 4 wickets for 12 runs in the country's domestic cricket, she got a place in the U-19 team. She also donned the national team jersey at a young age. Everyone was impressed with her swing, pace and fiery spell in the recent Women's Cricket World Cup. Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga also said, "Bangladesh has got a gem. Marufa's rhythm and control are pure gold for fast bowling." Captain Nigar Sultana said, "The whole team gets excited when Marufa enters the field." In Bangladesh, women's participation in the field is still controversial in many places. But the rise of Marufa has changed that perspective. Women's cricket still has a low budget, few matches, and low salaries. Even the best players on the national team receive a small amount of money per month. While male cricketers receive huge amounts of money, the monthly income of the best female cricketers is limited to 900 to 1000 dollars (1 lakh 10 thousand to 1 lakh 20 thousand taka).

The team did not even get a good warm-up match before the World Cup, and the boys had to prepare by playing against the U-15 team. However, board director Fahim hopes, "More Marufas will be produced. The new programs are showing that path."

The scene in Nilphamari has changed now. The ground where he used to pull the plow has been paved with cement. Every afternoon, all the children gather there. It has been named 'Maruf's Ground'. Marufa's message to all the girls in the country is, "Don't be afraid of anyone. You have to make your own path. Cricket has given me freedom, I want every girl in the village to know that they too can conquer anything."