Pakistan batter Bismah Maroof confirms availability for 2022 World Cup

The 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup is scheduled to be played in March and April 2022 in New Zealand. The tournament was originally scheduled for 2021 but was later postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. A total of eight teams would be taking part in the tournament and be playing against each other once. The top four teams will progress to the semi-final.

Former Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof has confirmed her availability for selection for the upcoming tournament. In April 2021, she took an indefinite break from cricket as she entered a new chapter in her life of motherhood. She announced this news through her Twitter account and also skipped Pakistan’s tour of South Africa in January-February this year.

In her absence, Javeria Khan was picked to lead the team. In August, Maroof gave birth to a baby girl. Maroof was the first woman cricketer to avail of the maternity leave plans which were sanctioned by the PCB. The board introduced pregnancy provisions in its central contracts system.

“The past few months have been the best of my life,” Maroof said. “Becoming a mother and spending time with my daughter has given me immense pleasure, but it is now time to return to my passion of representing Pakistan at an international stage,” Maroof said as quoted by Cricinfo.

I can now resume my ambitions and aspirations of playing for Pakistan: Bismah Maroof

Maroof mentioned that the maternity leave helped her realise the significance of balancing between raising a child and maintaining her cricketing career.

“The maternity leave helped me realize the significance of navigating the balance of raising a child and maintaining my professional cricketing career as I missed being on the field each time I saw the girls in action. I can now resume my ambitions and aspirations of playing for Pakistan and hope to make a useful contribution in our target of doing well in New Zealand,” Maroof added.

PCB in this matter has said, “she (Maroof) will be allowed to be accompanied by her dependent child and one support person of her choice.”

Maroof has played 108 ODIs for Pakistan and made 2602 runs at an average of 27.97 including 14 half-centuries. She also played 108 T20Is and has made 2225 runs at an average of 27.46.