‘If I left my baby, I would not be in a good mental space’
Pakistan cricket captain Bismah Maroof shows that mothers do have a place in elite sport, writes Fiona Tomas
Bismah Maroof, the Pakistan captain, strode into Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, ready to lead her side into battle in their World Cup opener against India this year. But before a ball was even bowled it was her seven-month-old daughter, Fatima, cradled in her arms, who had stolen the show.
Heartwarming footage of India’s players cooing over baby Fatima, sporting a cute red bow on her head, went viral. It was a joyful moment shared between two women’s cricket teams and a welcome reminder to Maroof – the first Pakistan player to return to international cricket after childbirth – that mothers have a place at the top of the sport.
But, just weeks later, Maroof would be facing a battle for acceptance when she was forced to contemplate missing this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after she claimed that her baby was denied accreditation for the event.
The batting all-rounder had been planning to breastfeed her daughter during the Games, but she alleges she was told that her baby, along with her mother, who would act as Fatima’s carer, would not be permitted to stay with her in the athletes’ village.
It was a devastating blow for Maroof, now 31, Pakistan’s record female run-scorer in both one-day international and Twenty20 formats and regarded as a trailblazer in her country.
“It was quite upsetting because I [felt like I] had to choose between Fatima and the Commonwealths,” she reflects over Zoom from Lahore. “It was quite clear to me that, of course, Fatima is nine months old and I couldn’t leave her. So I thought I might have to skip the Commonwealths.”
It was an uncomfortable echo of last year, when the International
Olympic Committee prevented nursing mothers from bringing their babies to the Tokyo Olympics due to Japan’s Covid-enforced ban on overseas spectators. The IOC’S harsh stance sparked widespread condemnation among female Olympians, with Serena Williams and United States footballer Alex Morgan among those voicing their opposition.
“If I left my baby, I would not be in a good mental space,” says Maroof, who has led the Pakistan team since 2016. “As a captain, you have to give a lot on and off the field, so if I’m not in a good mental space, I’d not be giving 100 per cent, so I wondered about skipping the Games.”
Fortunately the matter was resolved with the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board, which Maroof has hailed as “incredible”.
The Commonwealth Games Federation told Telegraph Sport that it had not received a formal accreditation request from any nursing mothers, but a spokesperson said:
“We were pleased to work in close collaboration with the organising committee and
Pakistan Commonwealth Games Association to find a positive solution that works well for everyone.” The spokesperson added that there was no formal policy on children staying in the athletes’ village, but this would be reviewed. Navigating motherhood and elite sport is rare in Pakistan, where it is not uncommon for social, political and cultural challenges to spell the end of female athletes’ sporting ambitions. Maroof, who married in November 2018, was the first woman to continue her cricketing career after marriage.
In a measure of how times are changing, she was also the first Pakistan cricketer to benefit from a landmark parental support policy that the PCB implemented last year. The policy allows players to benefit from paid leave during pregnancy and upon the birth of a child. Women get up to 12 months of paid leave, with men allowed 30 days. Maroof was halfway through her pregnancy when the PCB unveiled the policy, which she says pushed her to target a comeback at the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in March – where she was one of eight
mothers across the competition. “To be honest, I never thought I’d be playing after becoming a mother,” says Maroof, who returned to competitive cricket six months after giving birth. “But the support I got from my board was incredible. The policy they have made put my mind at ease to know that I could come back. When I’m touring, everyone is there to look after Fatima as well. The girls love to play with Fatima and they’re quite supportive.
“Sometimes I feel that I should stop playing, but the support I’ve got around me has kept me going. It’s also about leaving a legacy and to show girls that they can pursue their careers after motherhood as well and they can balance life really well.”
It is that inspirational message that Maroof wants to amplify in a bumper summer for women’s cricket. Not only is women’s T20 making its long-awaited debut at the Commonwealth Games, it will also coincide with the return of the Hundred, which proved a roaring success last year.
After everything she has achieved in the game, would Maroof be tempted to play in the ECB’S flagship competition? “I would love to,” she says. “As Pakistan players, we haven’t got many opportunities to be in leagues with other players. You learn a lot with other players when you play competitive cricket and it helps grow your game. If I had the chance, I’d definitely love to play.”
English cricket would be lucky to have her.