Bismah Maroof steps down as Pakistan women’s captain

Bismah Maroof will no longer be Pakistan’s women’s team captain, PCB chairman Najam Sethi announced the news on Wednesday. The 31-year-old all-rounder, who led Pakistan to win 27 out of 62 T20Is and 16 out of 34 ODIs, decided to quit the position in order to give the opportunity to the youngsters. However, she will remain to don her national jersey, as Sethi mentioned she will ‘bring laurels for her country’.

A left-handed batter and a right-arm leg-break bowler, Maroof, in all, has played 124 ODIs and 132 T20Is. She has tallied 3,110 runs in the 50-over format, and 2,658 runs in the other, while also has picked up 44 and 36 wickets respectively. Her aggregate in ODIs remains the most runs scored by a women’s batter without a hundred. She is one of the five women batters of all time who was dismissed on 99.

Maroof’s appearance in T20Is is the sixth-most by a women batter, behind Harmanpreet Kaur (151), Suzie Bates (143), Danii Wyatt (143), Alyssa Healy (141), and Ellyse Perry (139).