Bismah Maroof steps down as Pakistan skipper after Women’s T20 World Cup 2023
Bismah Maroof stepped down as the skipper of the Pakistan Women’s national cricket team after the 2023 T20 World Cup on South African soil.
Bismah Maroof steps down as Pakistan skipper after Women’s T20 WC 2023. Courtesy: Bismah Maroof Instagram
By India Today Sports Desk: Bismah Maroof, on Wednesday, March 1, stepped down as the skipper of the Pakistan Women’s team. The left-handed batter took the call after Pakistan failed to advance beyond the Group stage of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 on South African soil.
Pakistan finished fourth in Group B with two points and a net run rate of -0.703. Barring their 70-run victory over Laura Delany’s Ireland, the Women in Green failed to make much of an impact.
Maroof scored 98 runs from three games at an average of 49 and a strike-rate of 104.25 with a top score of an unbeaten 68 against Harmanpreet Kaur’s India at Newlands in Cape Town.
Maroof reckoned that the time had come to pass the baton of captaincy. The veteran said that someone young should take charge as the skipper of the national team.
Maroof took to Twitter and wrote, “There has been no bigger honour for me than leading the team. Now, I feel that it is the right time for a transition and chance to groom a young captain. I will always be there to assist, guide and support the team and the young captain in every way.”
Maroof captained Pakistan in 34 ODIs and 62 T20Is from 2013 to 2023. In 2016, she became Pakistan’s full-time captain after taking over from Sana Mir. After the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia, Maroof took an indefinite break from cricket as she was set to become a mother.
Maroof returned as the national skipper in the 2022 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand where she also carried her newborn child. Maroof also led Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.
