When Tamim Iqbal's support helped Rumana Ahmed out of trouble

The Bangladesh women’s team romped to their maiden Asia Cup title in Malaysia. Salma Khatun’s troops brushed aside India in a humdinger in Kuala Lumpur by three wickets. The match turned out to be a low-scoring affair, but there wasn’t any shortage of entertainment by any means. India, having won all the previous editions of the event were the favorites, however, it didn’t perturb their opponents.

Rumana Ahmed’s knock of 23 runs from 22 balls turned out to be pivotal in the context of the match. With Bangladesh requiring 9 runs from the last over, Rumana scooped Deepti Sharma over extra-cover for a boundary to bring her team within touching distance of a triumph. However, she was run-out after which Jahanara Alam held her nerves and guided her team past the finishing line.

Tamim’s support for Rumana

Post the victory, Tamim Iqbal, their male counterpart’s opener, posted a picture on Instagram to celebrate their victory. The left-handed batsman has also been learned to help his female counterparts as per reports in ESPNCricinfo. The story rewinds back to May 2018 when the Bangladesh women visited South Africa for an ODI and T20I series. Prior to the tour, Rumana faced a massive problem.

Both her new bats were stolen. They were gifted to her by an Australian sports outlet when she went to play for the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League last year. A troubled Rumana called Tamim and asked him for urgent assistance. Tamim obliged and arranged a bat for her in a meeting at the office of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Mirpur.

“How much should I pay? Rumana asked

“What? You don’t have to pay. This is for you. Come from South Africa, I will arrange a sponsor for your team,” replied Tamim.

Generally, Rumana prefers to buy her bats from abroad as they aren’t easily available in Dhaka. Moreover, the women cricketers aren’t in a financial equilibrium with their male contingents. Though she is the best-paid player in the team, a decent willow would cost her BDT 30,000, which is equivalent to her salary.

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