Marufa Akter Shines in First Match of Women’s ODI World Cup

Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter made an instant impact in her first Women’s ODI World Cup match, stunning Pakistan’s batters Omaima Sohail and Sidra Amin with two brilliant deliveries.

In Pakistan’s innings, Marufa grabbed attention from the very first over. On the fifth ball of the opening over, she bowled an inswinger that uprooted Omaima’s stumps. Her next delivery, another perfectly controlled inswinger, claimed Sidra Amin, who struggled to play the swing and saw the ball clip her bat before hitting the stumps. Both deliveries started well outside off-stump before sharply swinging in, showcasing Marufa’s impressive control with the new ball.

Sri Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga shared a video of Marufa’s deliveries on Facebook, praising her skill and control, calling it “the best delivery of this tournament so far.” Marufa responded to the post with gratitude, writing, “Thank you, legend.”

Former Indian captain Mithali Raj, providing commentary for the Women’s World Cup, also lauded Marufa’s performance. She said, “First, she got great swing, and her bowling was on the right line and length. Swing alone isn’t enough—you need accuracy, and Marufa delivered that. Two wickets in consecutive balls, and she even had a chance at a hat-trick.”

Mithali added, “This is her first ODI World Cup. I had seen her bowling in the T20 World Cup in South Africa and was impressed then too. Her pace, delivery, and run-up are all excellent.”

In her seven-over spell, Marufa conceded just 31 runs while taking two crucial wickets, earning the Player of the Match award as Bangladesh secured a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Pakistan.