"I think we should play more matches" - Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof on relationship with Indian players

Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof made her return to international cricket earlier this year in the World Cup, playing her first game since the 2020 T20 World Cup after a maternity break that saw her take time away from the game.

Over the course of the tournament, Maroof led her side to their first win in the World Cup since the 2009 edition, with Pakistan beating the West Indies by 8 wickets.

But there wouldn’t be too much more to cheer for the Pakistani fans as they lost the other 7 games despite coming close against the likes of Bangladesh and South Africa. Maroof’s team also gave their fancied rivals India a scare early in their opening fixture, reducing the Women in Blue to 114/6 at one stage. But it wasn’t meant to be.

The 30-year-old left-handed batter has a teeny bit more to cheer for at the FairBreak Invitational though with her Spirit team topping the table at the time of writing this article. She even made a handy unbeaten 40 in a 55-run victory over the Sapphires.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda facilitated by Eurosport India, the official broadcaster for the FairBreak Invitational 2022, Maroof discussed franchise tournaments, the Pakistan cricket team, baby Fatima and more. Here are the excerpts:

Q: Pakistani women have not necessarily been playing too many franchise T20 tournaments across the world. Just how important do you think it is for your national teammates to play in tournaments like the FairBreak Invitational?

A: It’s a very good opportunity for us as we don’t normally play in the leagues and it’s the first time that we’ve got the opportunity. For us, we’re learning from the players we are playing with. Culturally, we’d like to know about how the other players go about things, how they are on the field and what are their mindsets and how they like to do things. So it’s a good opportunity for every one of us.

But of course, Diana and Fatima have a bright future and I can definitely see them playing in more leagues. And I hope they continue their good performances.

Q: Earlier in the tournament, a familiar face in Sana Mir made her return to competitive cricket after a while. Were you looking forward to going up against her?

A: Yes, I think (laughs). I would like to play with her. She’s a legend of the game and she’s a very, very great leader, how she thinks about the game. I think I have learnt a lot from her. And if I could have played with her, it was definitely a good opportunity for me.

Q: The Spirit squad has a good mix of players from the full ICC members as well as various associate nations. How important is it for you to understand and interact with these players? Who among the players from associate nations has impressed you the most?

A: We normally interacted with the group and had a good chat with all the players. I think the associate players are very impressive and I have liked how they play. In our team, we have some very good associate players like Fon (Nattaya Boochatham) and Jeans (Nattakan Chantham) from Thailand. I think they’re very impressive and they have a very bright future.

Q: Your return to cricket post-pregnancy has been among one of the most inspirational stories to come out of the cricket world over the last year. Just how difficult or otherwise has it been?

A: Definitely it wasn’t easy. It was tough. I think it was my dedication. I wanted to play for the country and that has pushed me. And of course, the support of my mother. She was here with me to take care of Fatima (Maroof’s daughter). That keeps me relaxed that she’s in good hands.

And whenever I was on the field, I was quite relaxed and fully focused on the cricket. And of course, when I have time off, I give my full time to Fatima. But in between that, I don’t have time for myself (laughs). I can’t complain but yes, I’m enjoying my time right now.

Q: Does Fatima’s presence in the dressing room add to the spirits of the players in the team? How have they taken to her being around?

A: Yes, the Spirit team are quite fond of Fatima. They’re always looking for baby Fatima - ‘where is she?’ Everyone at FairBreak is looking for Fatima whenever she goes to the field. She’s getting more attention from everyone who seem to be fond of her. I’m afraid of how I will cope with that when I go back home. She’s enjoying every bit of time here.

Q: As the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, what do you think is the way forward for the squad following something of a difficult WC?

A: I believe we have the talent. We need to work on areas such as the crucial moments that can turn the game our way. I think those moments and pressure situations we are not handling well. We need to work on those phases consciously and that’ll be our aim moving forward. To turn the game our way, we need to be very proactive in those situations and phases. It will be our goal to perform in those situations.

Q: There’s been plenty of talk about the Women’s PSL happening in the past few months. Just how important can a tournament of this nature be to Pakistan cricket?

A: Yes I think it will be a very good initiative if we could have a chance to play in the PSL, and if the board tries to create that, it’ll be a very good opportunity because I think we have a gap between the domestic and international circuits.

We don’t have that strong a domestic structure in Pakistan and the PSL can be a bridge for that gap if we get to play with international players and our youngsters can play with them. They will know what they will face at the international level and they’ll be ready for it. I think it’ll also help our bench strength to know the pressure that comes at the international level and face a little more challenge in the domestic structure.

Q: If you could pick one PSL franchise to play for, who would it be?

A: (laughs) Quite difficult. Might be Lahore (Qalandars) because I’m from Lahore so yeah.

Q: The cameras caught a lot of heartwarming exchanges between the Indian and Pakistani players at the WC. What is the relationship between the two sets of players like? Do the political tensions impact that at all?

A: I think we do share a similar kind of culture and especially the language. We do understand each other better. Yes I do believe that we should play more cricket other than the World Cups. I think it is healthy for a sportsperson as well.

You know, for us, it was always a nerves game against India. I think when we go onto the ground, it is just a normal game. It’s just hype outside. If we can play more cricket, I think that can be normalised. And it will definitely be good for the audience that is following India-Pakistan matches. I think we should play more matches and it will create more healthy relations between the two countries.