Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter made a dream start to her Women’s World Cup journey. Playing her debut match in the tournament, the 20-year-old delivered an impressive spell that turned the game in her team’s favour.

Marufa bowled seven overs, conceding just 31 runs while picking up two key wickets. Her early breakthroughs were crucial as she dismissed Pakistan’s opener Omaima Sohail and top-order batter Sidra Amin, putting the opposition under pressure right from the start.

Pakistan struggled to recover from the early blows, managing only 129 runs. Bangladesh chased down the target comfortably with seven wickets in hand. Marufa’s outstanding performance earned her the well-deserved ‘Player of the Match’ award in her World Cup debut.

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Marufa Akter Opens up About Her Struggle in Life:

Marufa Akter’s impressive ability to swing the ball both ways has quickly made her a sensation in women’s cricket. Experts are already hailing her as one of the finest fast-bowling prospects to emerge from the subcontinent in recent years.

Hailing from Nilphamari in Bangladesh, Marufa is enjoying her well-deserved recognition but continues to stay grounded. Her journey has been shaped by years of financial hardship and determination. Growing up in a modest household, she faced numerous challenges, yet her perseverance and love for the game helped her overcome every obstacle to become one of Bangladesh’s brightest young stars.

She said, “ They wouldn't invite us to various gatherings (like weddings), saying we didn't have proper clothes. If we go there, we'll lose our respect — that's what they used to say (tears). There was a time when we couldn't even afford new clothes for Eid (tears). My father is a farmer. We didn't have much money, and even the people in the village where I grew up weren't very supportive.”

Every player has a story!

Cricket, like life, doesn’t just make champions. It makes believers — those who never stopped chasing, even when the pitch of life turned rough.

Good Luck to Marufa Akter! Hope the game will take of her.pic.twitter.com/OVv7yYH9G8

— Rehan Mazhar (@rehanch04) October 14, 2025

Today, Marufa stands as a proud daughter, providing for her family through her success in cricket. Her journey from struggle to strength inspires many across Bangladesh and beyond.

She further said, “ Actually, the position we are in now—others aren't quite there. The way I support my family, perhaps many boys can't do the same. That gives me a special kind of peace. As a child, I used to wonder when people would look at us with admiration and applaud. Now, when I see myself on TV, I feel shy (laughs).”

Every cricketer or sportsperson or any successful member has their own share of emotional stories at the start of their career, which they face with determination and overcome to be a strong and successful member in the latter stage of their career. That has been the case with Bangladesh women's pacer, Marufa Akhter, who shared an emotional story. 

Bangladesh, currently during the Women’s World Cup 2025 in India and Sri Lanka, has been pretty impressive with their overall performance. They started the campaign with a fine seven-wicket victory against Pakistan before giving a close, nail-biting fight to England and South Africa.

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“Whenever there was a wedding or any other function, my family wasn’t invited because we didn’t have nice clothes. Our presence would be an embarrassment to them. That’s what they said. There has been a time when I had no new clothes for Eid.” Marufa Akhter revealed during a conversation with ICC, as its clip has gone viral on social media.

Watch: Marufa Akhter’s emotional fighting story during Women’s World Cup 2025 goes viral

In the opening clash of the World Cup, Akhter picked up two wickets for 31 runs in her seven overs. She went through the defense of Pakistan’s Omaima Sohail to get the batter for a first-ball duck before picking the next wicket of Sidra Amin on consecutive deliveries. Her contribution with the bat helped the national side to restrict the opposition to 129 as they completed the chase by seven wickets with nearly 19 overs to spare.

🥹💕 pic.twitter.com/0PzrMPjGFi

— ? (@nazayazkutiya) October 13, 2025

In this tournament, the 20-year-old has picked up five wickets in four games, with the Protea contest being the only one when she went wicketless. In her 29 innings of WODIs, the right-arm pacer has claimed 25 wickets at an average of under 32, while in the T20Is, she has collected 20 wickets at an economy rate of 6.36.

Bangladesh will be satisfied with their performance in the field in this campaign. Their next encounter will be against Australia at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam before they face Sri Lanka at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.

Bangladesh Women secured a dominating victory in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 by winning seven wickets against Pakistan Women in Match 3 at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. The Bangladesh side put in a complete performance by allowing their bowlers to restrict Pakistan to a cheap total and then allowing their batters to chase it down with ease.

Pakistan, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, had a disastrous start. Both openers Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin were dismissed for ducks, leaving the side under pressure from the first over. Muneeba Ali tried to fight back but only made 17, while Aliya Riaz (13) and Sidra Nawaz (15) also failed to make big scores. The only resistance came from Rameen Shamim with 23 and captain Fatima Sana with 22. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Pakistan were bowled out for just 129 in 38.3 overs.

Bangladesh bowlers were outstanding. Shorna Akter led the way with a brilliant spell of 3/5 in 3.3 overs, including three maidens. Marufa Akter and Nahida Akter took two wickets each to keep Pakistan on the back foot. Chasing 130, Bangladesh never looked troubled. Rubya Haider impressed on debut with 54 runs off 77 balls, while Sobhana Mostary (24) and captain Nigar Sultana (23) guided the team to victory in 31.1 overs.

PAK-W vs BAN-W: Who said what?

Marufa Akter (Player of the Match):

“Everyone supported me. Sobhana Mostary, whenever I bowled, she tells me that you are a good bowler and you can do it for the team. The team analyst also told me two months back that I can get the player of the match and it has happened. (On getting swing with the new ball) First four balls, I look to assess the conditions. I was getting good swing and I was maintaining good line and length. Both wickets, were good (chuckles). Yes, first, I cannot understand where the ball went but then I figured and went for it the next time. I always feel that I am the best fielder in the team.”

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Nigar Sultana (Bangladesh Captain):

“Yeah, I am happy. See, a good toss to lose. We wanted to bat first as well. I just told my girls that we need quick wickets in the powerplay and how Marufa bowled in the powerplay, she stole the show. I think, she (Marufa Akter) is very young and mature cricketer. She knows her role well. How she delivered today in the middle is quite incredible. See, after the first innings, we talked about playing our natural game. I think Jhelik (Rubya Haider) batted well on her debut and other batters around her batted well. I think, sometimes you feel pressure when you lose early wickets. We wanted to build partnerships. This is the kind of culture we wanted to create in our team. We wanted to start well and carry this momentum into the tournement.”

Fatima Sana (Pakistan Captain):

“I think in the first over of the match, we gave a couple of wickets and that was the turning point. In the next game, we will try to make a comeback in the World Cup. I think we just collapsed during our batting. Some players are playing their first World Cup and they are definitely under a bit more pressure. However, the team atmosphere is very good and we as a unit are gelling very well. I think it was a better pitch for the pacers as it was seaming a bit but it was good enough for batting as well. We were unable to execute our plans in the first innings.”